Intuition
by DarkElements10
Summary: [Cody's side-story to Help Me, Save Me]. Cody is the smart one, who could fix any problem without much thought. But how can he fix Zack's problems when he's not being let in? His intuition tells him to keep trying, but he starts to miss the mounting problems in his own life. For someone so smart, it was so dumb. -Trigger Warnings Inside- -Third in Can't Help It series- -Slight UA-.
1. Prologue

**Intuition**

 **By: Riley**

 **Summary – ** [Cody's sequel to Save Me From Myself]. [Works alongside the later chapters of Help Me, Save Me]. Cody has always been known as the smart one, the one who could fix any problem without much thought. But how can he fix Zack's problems when he's not being let in? His intuition tells him to keep trying, but that causes him to miss the mounting problems in his own life. It was the worst mistake he could someone so smart, it was incredibly dumb. -Trigger Warnings Inside- -Third in Can't Help It series- -Slight UA-

 **Trigger Warnings Include:** Anorexia, Bipolar Disorder, Abuse, Cutting, Sexual Harassment

* * *

 **.:Prologue:.**

* * *

I watched him.

It sounds creepy but it's not supposed to be like that. It's not creepy at all, it's romantic. It's my way to show that I want what's best for him, making sure that I know exactly what that is to implement it. I wasn't watching simply because he's good looking. Because he is hot. But unlike what others think I like to get to know the guy first. Hopefully things would end up that way, but it's not I'm aiming for. I just want him to know I'm there for him whenever he needs me. It backfired before but it'll work this time. He doesn't know it yet, doesn't understand. That's why I'm watching him.

My thrill came from the glimpses that I got, waiting to reveal myself to him again. I watched as he left the Tipton hotel, the wind blowing his lovely hair around. It used to be blond; I loved when it was blond. It made him so cute. Now it was turning brown. I guess I have to get used to that. Things change.

I continued to watch, he had someone with him. A girl. When was he _not_ surrounded by girls? He was sensitive; something other guys don't seem to be.

I don't think he knows what he did to me. How he made me feel. It's alright, he'd know soon enough. Soon, I could show him.

But for now, I watched.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ok, this is one of the sequels to _Save Me From Myself._ But as it's not a direct sequel, it's more of a side story to _Help Me, Save Me_. That being said, this story takes place in the later chapters of _Help Me, Save Me_ and right before the graduation chapter.

The way I see it, it's more like the things we don't specifically see with Cody in that story is what's seen here. I apologize it took so long for me to post it, I wanted to get pretty far into the story before posting

I hope you guys liked the prologue.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	2. What You Think Of Yourself Matters

**.:1:.**

 _What You Think Of Yourself Matters  
_

* * *

Cody Martin winced at the sound of extremely loud cheering that swirled around him. It always took him a second to get used to the noise. Get used to it being directed _at_ him rather than being the one who was doing the cheering. Used to sitting in the stands instead of being on the player's bench. Used to watching the game instead of playing it.

Or maybe he was just nervous.

Cody pulled at the neck of his basketball jersey. It felt constricting despite being at least half a size too big. Self-consciousness could be a bitch sometimes. It was senior year and his second year on the high school basketball team. He should've been used to it by now, but truth be told he hadn't always been coordinated. Memories of playing on his middle school's team flashed in his mind and he cringed. That was so long ago, but close enough that he absolutely hated it when it was brought up. From not knowing which direction to go in to calling out their secret play out loud, to getting hit in the head with a basketball to make a shot.

And that was all in one game.

There were plenty of other games, and plenty of other mishaps and screw-ups that he had managed to do. They played in his mind at the worst of times and made him laugh at the best. His peers came up to congratulate him after a good game and share in his misery after a particularly bad one. It was strange to him, everyone now seeing him as an asset to the team and being a jock. That was Zack's turf. He did everything so well.

 _Well, other than getting on the team in the first place,_ Cody thought. He remembered how much it bummed his brother out when he had first tried out for the high school team. It was already different. You got on the middle school team when you showed up to the first practice and worked through the fundamentals there. But the high school team was more rigorous; they won championships and tournaments and wanted to keep winning. They needed the best of the best. So even when Zack was the best of the middle school team—with the ego to back it up—he hadn't been the best for the high school team and found himself on the bench.

Cody remembered Zack being so humiliated and hoped their mother wouldn't go to the game. Cody didn't really want her there either—as enthusiastic and excited as he was for it—being on the cheerleading team when he couldn't make any other sports team at the time made Cody feel the tiniest bit of shame. What hurt worse was seeing that his dad, once again, couldn't make it.

At least now he was able to redeem himself. He and Tapeworm actually became part of the starting lineup of the team, along with Zack and a few other players and they played for most of the game. Now with only a few minutes left, Cody felt his heart racing as much as he was sure everyone else's was. This was a really important game to win. With the season lasting until the beginning of February they needed this to get a step closer to the district championships. And if they won that, they'd move onto the state championships.

Statistically speaking, knowing the stats of the all of the players on his team as well as looking up the stats of the opposing team, Cody knew they had a pretty good chance of getting there. But he crunched the numbers time and time again, knowing a 'pretty good chance' wasn't the best thing to go off of. There were so many variables that needed to go into it, more tests, more—

"Martin! You're in!"

Cody blinked but didn't move.

It took a second for him to realize that Coach Carpenter was speaking to him and not Zack. Looking up, Cody noticed that Zack was frantically motioning towards him to get on the floor. Then Cody glanced at the clock. Oh. Only five minutes left and the score was tied. Oh God. He was being sent in. Was this a good idea? Didn't they know he wasn't actually an athlete? Didn't they know he had only just joined the team the year before and that putting him in a position to fail was just going to…end up in failure?

"Let's go, Cody!" He could hear his mother yell from the stands. "That's my son! And that's my other son!"

On the court Zack slapped his hand over his face and shook his head all at the same time Cody made the same motion. There was something about mother's cheering for their kids that was always a little bit embarrassing no matter how old they got. Cody glanced at the stands and quickly waved to his mother, smiling when he saw Arwin Hochouser waving just as enthusiastically and his father sitting nearby, acting like he didn't know either of them.

Cody searched the stands for his friends then, and found them easily. Bailey Pickett was standing on the floor of the court with a camera in her hands, taking pictures for the year book. Janice and Jessica Ellis and Rhuben Jackson were standing on the side of the court with the dance team. Max Montgomery and Crystal Manning were sitting with the girls' basketball team whose game ended before theirs with a winning score of 97-82. Cody craned his neck to find Riley, Rhuben's twin and Crystal's cousin, finding her quietly slip into the gym, bag slung over her shoulder and her wet hair draping over her shoulder. Obviously the swim meet had just finished as the other swimmers pooled in around her.

As Cody trotted out onto the court along with cheering from the crowd, he took stock of his team. Zack, Tapeworm Michaels, Moose Dano, and Drew Watkins. Riley's and Rhuben's little brothers Patrick and Noah sat on the bench with the rest of the sophomores and freshmen, and their youngest brother Sydney was in the stands with their cousin Aaron.

Everyone was there.

And now he had to play in front of all of them.

Tapeworm patted Cody on the shoulder as he jogged past.

Cody smiled his thanks. He and Tapeworm had shocked the school when they managed to make the team, going from geeks to jocks…with geeky tendencies. If there was anyone he was glad to have on the team more than Zack, it was his best friend. Zack nodded and reached out his hand as Cody approached and Cody smiled, slapping his hand into Zack's.

With renewed energy he moved to the shooting position on the court to take his free throw shots. He glanced at the clock again and knew what he had to do. Make the two shots then hold onto the ball for the last five minutes. If he managed to get the first shot and not the second, make sure they were able to at least get another two pointer then run out the clock.

 _Better a close win than going into overtime,_ Cody reminded himself of Coach Carpenter's words. He took in a deep breath and nodded for the referee to pass him the ball. With the ball in hand Cody bounced it a few times to get a feel of it; to mentally calculate how much air was still inside due to the force he had to exert for a bounce back up to his hip, using that to then calculate the perfect amount of force and angle to make a perfect basket.

After a few moments he figured it out and brought both hands to the ball. Bending his knees, Cody focused on the backboard and hoop. He took another deep breath, this time being sure to completely fill his lungs before letting it out. Then he shot the ball.

 _Swish._

A cheer rang up through the gym. Cody reached up to run a hand through his hair when the referee grabbed the ball and bounced it to Cody once more. It took him a little bit longer to go through the same motions this time but he did it again.

 _Swish._

Cody grinned but didn't have time to congratulate himself as the other team managed to get the ball.

They ran it down to the other side of the court but the Cheevers team played defense better in those last five minutes. The other team was forced to pass the ball back and forth time and time again as time ran out. When it was down to the last minute and a half Drew launched himself forward and blocked a pass.

The audience erupted as he drove the ball towards the basket with the other team chasing after him. Drew passed the ball to Moose who held it off for a few seconds before passing it over to Tapeworm who, with his height, had great ease with it as well. Tapeworm then passed the ball over to Cody.

45 seconds left.

Cody glanced towards the basket and the players spread out underneath it, there was a good chance to keep the ball and make another shot. But was it worth it? If he missed the other team would get the ball and maybe even make a three pointer which would tie and leave the chance in overtime for them to win.

"Cody!"

Without looking up, Cody tossed the ball in the direction of Zack's voice. It was amazing. Somehow while the two were on court they were able to tell where each other was without giving half of a thought to it. It was as if one minute no one was there at an empty part of the court then they would suddenly appear.

Cody looked over, getting himself to an empty part of the court and watched as Zack caught the ball and expertly tossed it back and forth between his legs before breaking to the side.

"Zack!" Cody called.

He was still free and open.

"Zack, over here!"

10 seconds left.

Zack flicked his hair from his face then tossed the ball with an around the back pass to Cody. Cody took it and stepped to the side as an opposing player leapt at him. He took a shot. The ball bounced off the rim and started to fall. Tapeworm then leapt up and grabbed the ball, shooting again.

 _Swish._

The alarm blared and the gym erupted with loud cheers.

Cody couldn't help but smile. He knew it would work. Tapeworm's height worked well, especially with his wing span. As long as he moved to the right positioning it'd work and it had.

Soon, the team was swept up in a flurry of pats on the back, hugs, cheers, and congratulations. Through the whole audience he found his mother cheering at the top of her lungs, telling anyone that would listen how her sons had won, Arwin sang a high-pitched note at the top of his lungs as he always did when they won, and Kurt was clapping and cheering as well, all the while still pretending he didn't know who Carey was amongst her high energy.

Then Cody was surrounded by his friends. "Winner's hugs," Bailey declared before enveloping each boy in a tight sweet. "And,"—she waved her camera around—"I got it all on camera."

"That's good or else Zack would kill you for not getting the shot," Riley remarked once finishing giving her hugs.

Zack smiled and crossed his arms. "Normally I would agree with you but, it wasn't me, it was Cody." He nodded to his brother. "He was the one who made sure the win happened. He's the big hero. I'm proud of you, man."

"Thanks, Zack," Cody replied.

He didn't hear it nearly enough. He and Zack were never ones to express themselves like that. (No matter how much Zack made fun of him for being 'too soft').

"Aww, that was so sweet," Janice said.

"Really, really, sweet," Jessica parroted.

"So, let's go to dinner to celebrate," Max suggested.

"Great, is it on you?" Tapeworm asked his girlfriend with a teasing smile. She rolled her eyes and nudged him on the side.

"Excuse me, but we won our game too," Crystal pointed out.

"And we won our swim meet," Riley added.

"Okay, so food is on everyone that wasn't playing a game today," Rhuben said. She rolled her eyes then thought for a moment. "If Carey and Kurt don't get to it first."

Zack snorted. "Our mom still insists on buying our clothes from Cheap Charlie's in bulk because they come with a six months supply of air filters."

"Remind me of home," Moose said. Bailey nodded eagerly in agreement."Do they give you stacks of hay, too?"

Zack looked at them in confusion, shaking his head.

Cody laughed.

"Let's get changed and get our stuff first and then we can figure it out," Bailey suggested. "I need to get a few quotes from the coach anyway and I have a feeling he's going to be talking for a while."

They all agreed and Cody turned to make his way to the locker rooms. He felt an arm slip through his and looked down at Rhuben, who smiled back at him.

"So is this like the whole football player and head cheerleader thing?" He asked.

She shook her head. "We don't have a football team, mate," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but basketball is just as big here."

"I reckon you're right." She patted him on the arm. "But something tells me it's just going to get bigger. You played great today."

"That's what everyone's saying."

"But you don't believe it.

Cody came to a stop and turned to her. "I guess it's a little bit harder to get out of the mindset that I'm still just a nerd."

"You're not _just_ a nerd, Cody. You're much more than that. But I guess at this point it's for you to figure out on your own."

Nodding, Cody watched Zack, who was talking to Moose as they passed through the doors to go back to the locker room. He couldn't help but immediately wonder if he was out of breath at all, feeling weak, or needed to take a break before they went out.

It had taken a long while for Zack to get back to the strength he originally has, for him to get the bill of health to get back on the team. And yet Cody worried because he was a realist. In basketball no matter how many times they won there was always a chance for a bad day and their loss.

Just like basketball, there was the chance for Zack to have a bad day and fall off the wagon again.

But this time Cody was going to be there for him.

* * *

 ** _Cody's Log_**

 _I haven't done these in a while. I guess I've just been so busy. Basketball practice and the holidays have made everything so hectic lately. Not to mention all of the clubs and teams I'm part of. Of course that's just part of the academics that I've managed to accomplish over the past couple of years. Not to mention the inventions and breakthroughs I've managed to do._

 _For a while all of that seemed to be unimportant since Zack got sick. I just wanted to be sure everything was okay. And when they were I went right back into it. That makes me sound heartless in a way, but everyone reacts to grief differently. Not to say grief is only for those that have passed, you can grieve and mourn for a lot of things, I guess I started to grieve for our childhood._

 _I'll admit it wasn't the best. There were many days where Zack and I could come home from school and find out we were moving again. To a new school, to a new life where we would have to start all over again. Then there were the times we came home to find out that we being kicked out of our apartment and would need to live in our mini-van for a while. Looking back on it now I have a lot of appreciation to give to mom because she never made things out to be as bad as they were. She would make it seem like an adventure. I knew people typically lived in their houses and not in their cars, and that they didn't have nightmares of the homeless men that would peek in their car windows at night._

 _Still, she did her best to keep us from feeling different._

 _It was around that time that I started working on these logs; the guidance counselor at one of the schools suggested I do it to work through my thoughts and fears. They were started in notebooks, of which I'd ask mom for an extra one for my schools supplies to do it. Then once computers became more prevalent I switched them there. Sometimes I like to go back and look at the entries I had back then. Most of them had to do with how much fun Zack and I had that day, because we didn't have many friends. Others were of how lonely I felt because we didn't have friends. Then there were the ones where I was angry at Zack or my mom or my dad for whatever reason. (In retrospect they were petty but how can one that young comprehend there was more to life than having your Fruit-by-the-Foot stolen?)_

 _They helped me so much through those formative years; maybe it'll give me some peace of mind now. They seemed to have helped Zack, I continuously see him at the end of the day writing things down. I'll admit I'm curious to know what he talks about in them; there've been plenty of times where he'd try to look over my shoulder to see mine. He made fun of them long enough._

 _But now they've been working for him._

 _And I'm glad._

 _-C.M._

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** Thanks to everyone who has alerted, favorited, and reviewed. I'm glad there are still people interested in this story despite how long it took for me to get back to it. There were many edits to this chapter from what I originally had, for example there was a scene with Drew, Zack, and Cody that I took out as I felt it wouldn't fit anymore as well as a scene with Carey and Kurt.

That's not to say they won't show up later, though. I hope you liked this one.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	3. Humans Are Social Creatures

**.:2:.**

 _Humans Are Social Creatures_

* * *

Cody stuck out his hand for the plate that Zack picked up from the counter. He turned his head, just in time to find Zack stick out his tongue and drag it along the side of the plate, scooping up a glob of chocolate as he did so.

With his tongue still hanging out of his mouth, and practically panting like a dog, Zack looked up, locking eyes with his twin brother. Realizing he was caught, Zack continued his tongue's movement, moving it in almost a sensual manner—of which Cody knew he was doing just to freak him out—before bringing it back into his mouth. Then he handed the plate over and shrugged.

"What?"

Cody stared at him disapprovingly. "You're gross."

"You've been saying that for years, what makes you think it actually bothers me." Zack reached over and patted Cod on the shoulder. "You need to come up with some better insults if you actually want to have it make an impact."

Cody pointedly turned to the dishwasher, putting the plate inside with a little more force than he meant. "I think you've already had enough to deal with in that area." Zack sighed heavily, reaching behind him to pull himself up onto the kitchen counter. Cody frowned and hung his head, briefly closing his eyes. He opened them again and said in a low, apologetic voice, "I didn't mean it like that."

"I'm sorry, did you just apologize?" Zack chuckled to himself. "We don't apologize, remember? That's not how our relationship works." He motioned between himself and his twin brother. "We bust each other's balls"—Zack paused. He lifted an eyebrow and looked Cody up and down. "—if you have any." Cody rolled his eyes. "Then we congratulate each other on a good diss, and move on with our merry lives. Once it starts to become too personal we stop, take a step back, and go back to neutral territory. Simple as that." His phone vibrated and he moved quickly to answer it. Cody watched his face fall as he moved to respond to the message.

"Who's that?" Cody asked.

"Moose. He wants to make sure that we got coach's message about moving to do two a day practices." Zack sighed heavily, putting his phone back. "Not that I could do it anyway." He clenched his hands into fists and repeatedly tapped them on the counter.

"Being back on the team is a great accomplishment, Zack."

"Oh, I know that. I've had enough people tell me that over the last month." There wasn't a hint of arrogance in his voice. "I just wish everyone would stop acting like I'm going to fall apart the second someone says something mildly offensive or that I want to work myself a little harder. I'm not made of glass, Cody; I'm not going to shatter."

"Yeah, you're just forgetting one thing," Cody said. Zack lifted his eyebrows. "We're human. And even humans are able to be broken." He thought for a moment. "You know, there's actually a famous scientist that studied human behaviors with scenarios like this and—" Zack groaned loudly, tilting his head back against the cabinet that rested above him. "Fine. I won't enlighten you on some of the best studies over human development and societal norms."

"Even you saying that bored me to tears."

"So what's up with you and Riley?"

If the sound of a record scratch was a legitimate thing, Cody would've burst out laughing. The stunned expression on his brother's face gave him away before he could replace it with an air of aloofness that he managed to perfect over the years. If there was anything Zack hated being, it was emotional and vulnerable. Even if it was towards his brother. The many times they would have a heart-to-heart conversation would usually start with Zack hemming and hawing over 'stupid feelings' and how what they were talking about really 'wasn't a big deal' before getting down to it. And Cody was the same way.

There was something to be said about being open and sensitive towards others and while it was easy for him to do so to his parents and friends, being that vulnerable for someone who he saw every day and knew everything about his life more than his family and friends could even begin to imagine…that was hard.

Cody then smiled to himself, watching Zack slowly lose his façade. He was speaking to his brother; the only person he 100% knew wouldn't repeat any of their conversation or their secrets even when tortured.

"I have no idea," Zack said honestly. He reached up and scratched his head, frowning when he noticed strands of hair coming out between his fingers.

Cody watched in dismay as Zack quickly grabbed his beanie and quickly shoved it over his head once more. Cody had studied enough of eating disorders after Zack was hospitalized to know that the loss of hair was due to the lack of protein and nutrients in his diet. He had seen how Zack reacted when their parents tried to explain the new diet Zack had to go on, and how careful he had to be when playing basketball. He didn't want to add onto Zack's frustration and annoyance.

"Actually, I wanted to ask your opinion," Zack said, once every strand of hair was tucked underneath the beanie.

Cody placed a hand on his chest. "You want _my_ advice on girls? Seriously?" He crossed his arms. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

"Yeah, I know it's a surprise. But for some reason girls actually like you and _want_ to be with you so you must be doing something right." Zack took a deep breath. "I have no idea what's going on with me and Riley. Since New Year's it's like she hadn't wanted to do anything."

"But you act the same way you always do," Cody pointed out. "Really good and close friends who seem to get off on fighting with each other. You've got into some of the _dumbest_ fights I've ever seen."

Zack shrugged. "We don't fight, we playfully argue."

"Yeah, your competitiveness is _so_ attractive." Cody's voice dripped with sarcasm. "You want my advice?"

"I just got through saying that didn't I? Or else you like to listen to me admit it."

Cody grinned. "I do." He thought for a moment. Of all of the times he had been stuck listening to their non-relationship-relationship drama and Zack's past relationships over the past year; with Max then Sadie. Then Riley finally admitted she liked him and her own issues as to why she hadn't said anything…the gears in Cody's head turned then came to a sudden stop, a proverbial light bulb dinging over his head. "You need to talk to Max. And Tapeworm."

Zack looked at him suspiciously. "The only advice you can give me is to talk to Max and Tapeworm?"

"Mhm."

"I've already talked to them."

"Not about everything you've needed to talk about. I mean an honest to God; sit down conversation about everything happened between you three. And I'm being serious. We haven't all hung out together since you broke up."

"We just went to dinner last night."

"And half of our group didn't talk to the other half." That was very true. Since Max and Zack had broke due to Max's cheating and she started going out with Tapeworm, things were different with their friends. The girls hung out a lot; it seemed that they were able to get over things a bit easier. The guys hung out, but Zack and Tapeworm were never alone together. Nor did they speak much when they were around each other when in a group; only when they had to. And when all of them were together, the awkward tension was palpable.

If the conversation topic was academic Bailey, Cody, and Tapeworm usually dominated the conversation with the others waiting for a subject they could contribute to. When it was sports everyone would join the conversation in some way but it would fall apart when Zack and Max would become engrossed in it, almost as if they weren't allowed to have fun with each other anymore. Bailey tried to force them all to talk but the conversation turned flat quickly. Then Moose tried his hand at it, and realized that despite being able to pick up Zack's chair with him sitting in it to forcibly move him that it wasn't going to make things easier either. Even Cody had noticed that despite the fact Riley was great friends with all of them; she seemed to avoid the topic of Max's former relationship with Zack as much as possible.

 _If Zack talking to them doesn't work, then she needs to talk to Max herself._ Cod thought. He turned his attention back to his twin brother. "But of course you wouldn't notice, you were too busy staring open-mouthed at the TV behind Bailey's head."

"She was going on and on about this senior president thing, what else was I supposed to do? Pretend to pay attention?" Zack's eyes shifted behind Cody to their father as he shuffled into the kitchen, stretching his arms over his head. "Hey Dad, what's up?"

"My napping quota, apparently," Kurt replied. He then stopped and took a good look around the kitchen. "Hey, you didn't have to do the dishes. I would've gotten them done."

"Yeah, when the ants started to traipse around, carrying morsels of the provisions they'd transport back to their anthills to fashion a militia to take over your condo," Cody said.

Stunned silence shifted through the kitchen as Kurt and Zack both stared at Cody. Cody's small smile faded and he shook his head. "I really need to remember I need a translator around you two. I meant you'd be more likely to have an ant infestation if we didn't start cleaning soon. There are dishes in here that haven't been washed since the last time we're here."

"It takes a while to create enough dishes that warrants running the dishwasher," Kurt explained.

Cody understood that. Their mother had the same problem when they weren't over there either. Hard to believe their arrangement was working well. Cody had been equally excited and worried when Zack first came up with the suggestion that they trade on and off living with their parents. It had been blurted out in the heat of the moment when Zack claimed their mother preferred Cody over him and that he'd never be good enough for her. Their mother had been upset at the idea and the argument at first, but then went along with it, thinking it might help them. A part of Cody wanted to stay in the Tipton with their mom.

How could they abandon her like that?

But then again it was good practice for her for when they went off to college. And their dad had been living in Boston for a couple of years, after putting his touring band on hold, but they hadn't spent more than a weekend every few months with him. He deserved some time with his sons, too. So when it was suggested they spend every two weeks at the Tipton hotel and their dad's condo Cody went along with it. And it worked out better than any of them thought, their mom got more time to herself, their dad got more time with his sons, and neither of them had to spend too much time dealing with the boys' antics when they got bored.

"Huh, I should live here more often," Zack said with a half smile. "Anything to keep from actually having to the dishes so much back at the Tipton."

"Yeah, well, your mother has always been very specific about the way a house ran." Kurt then stopped and looked over his shoulder, practically shuddering. "Whew, I just felt a chill. It's like she actually heard me."

"She probably did. Mom hears everything," Zack pointed out.

Cody pointed at him. "You mean mom hears everything you're about to plan before you do it. Because you always look guilty." Zack reached over and grabbed a dishtowel, tossing it towards Cody, who caught it with one hand and threw it back. "Thanks for dinner, Dad. It's good to know that you finally learned how to use the crock pot."

"Without getting food burnt to the bottom," Zack quipped.

Kurt reached out and cuffed him over the head before putting him into a headlock. "You don't even know how to cook."

"I've watched Cody enough times to figure out how to do it."

"And to get rid of the take out boxes before anyone can see them," Cody quipped. He used his foot to close the door to the dishwasher. "Take a bet? You make breakfast tomorrow without killing anyone and I'll do your homework for a day?"

"Two days," Zack broke in. "I've got so much I need to do to graduate and I'll need all the help I can get. If you do what's been assigned over this weekend I can do the others I'm behind on." He held out his hand and Cody shook it firmly. "Alright. So we've had dinner and dessert, what's next?" He rubbed his hands together.

"More napping, hopefully," Kurt said. He stretched once more. "Cody's turkey was good enough but to have whipped up homemade chocolate mousse put me over."

Cody grinned. "Or you're just getting old."

"How'd this for old?" Kurt wrapped his arm around Zack's waist. Then he walked over to Cody and wrapped his free arm around Cody and lifted the two up off the ground. The twin boys laughed as Kurt spun them in circles a few times before setting them down and ruffled their hair. He then winced and grabbed his back. "Okay, that might not have been a good idea."

"A hot bath with some good bath salts and scents will offset that," Cody declared.

Zack ducked under his father's arm to hold him up. "And you wonder why people look at you funny."

"Actually, that sounds like a good idea," Kurt said. "I could really use it."

Zack half-lidded his eyes and Cody stuck his tongue out at him, blowing a raspberry.

* * *

Once the kitchen was cleaned up, Cody picked up his laptop and walked it into the living room where Zack was stretched out on the couch, eyes closed and a hand resting on his stomach. Cody watched as Zack rubbed small circles over his sweatshirt, lips pressed together.

 _I hope he's okay,_ Cody thought. He knew how heavy his dinners could be sometimes and didn't think to notice how much Zack had or hadn't eaten. Cody watched his brother a moment longer and opened his laptop. As soon as he did so he received a message from his chat program.

 **Bailey:** Are you ready to give your speech tomorrow?"

 **Cody:** I'm always ready. I should be asking if you are. I mean, you have to give your speech after me, it may not live up. ;)

 **Bailey:** Speeches aren't competition, Cody. Because mine's going to be better, no question.

Cody chuckled to himself. No matter what it was, if it was academic he and Bailey managed to find a way to make it a competition. Not that Cody thought he was better than anyone else, by any means. There were plenty of people who were more well rounded and better at things than he was. But with academics and his friends, sometimes it was good to be able to talk about his scientific and philosophical interests they didn't understand but Bailey did. Tapeworm was always good to talk to but he didn't enjoy much competition other than science fairs, preferring to have share ideas with whomever asked.

But and Bailey had a fun, almost unspoken competition that had stared since Bailey moved to Boston and managed to best him on a test. He had no idea it was possible to get a 110% on a test until she managed it. That irked him just as much as it impressed him and he worked harder to get be better.

As they had both been voted the co-presidents of the senior class, they did their best to give an equal opportunity for their ideas to be showcased to the students. Homeroom and school wide morning assemblies were the best time to get their ideas across. This time around it was ideas for what the senior class would leave behind as their class gift and ideas for improvements to the school.

So far he had only come up with ideas for the senior gift, as well as working out what they would be doing for their class trip. But for improvements to the school…everything seemed to be so insignificant compared to what was going on in with Zack currently.

 **Cody:** Oh yeah? Well, we'll compare notes when we get to school tomorrow. I have some more stuff I want to add to mine.

 **Bailey:** Shaking in your boots already?

 **Cody:** Your reverse-psychological projection isn't going to shake me, Miss. Pickett. We'll see who has the better ideas when we get there.

 **Cody:** Did you think of anything for this semester's fundraiser?

 **Bailey:** Sadie says she had it handled. She said she'd let me know what it is tomorrow.

 **Bailey:** But I've got a backup plan just in case.

Cody thought for a moment, his hands hovering above his keyboard.

Sadie…that was an even harder conversation topic to breach with Zack and their friends.

Zack acted like everything was okay, but Cody wasn't so sure about that. How could anyone be so calm after breaking up with someone and having their explicit pictures sent around in revenge? Since speaking to Sadie about getting her to leave him alone she had stayed out their hair. But that didn't mean they couldn't completely avoid her; they were in most of the same classes and she was part of the student council.

Not to mention she was sort of part of the Drew Crew, led by Drew Anderson. She and Drew had been friends since freshman year of high school and they always hung out together. She had shunned and outright ignored some of the teasing, taunting, and bullying Drew sent Cody's and Zack's way, deeming them his enemy so to speak since they first moved to Boston. Well, since they kicked him out of the Tipton hotel after he and his friends destroyed everything.

Who knew what she'd come up with compared to their Date Auction from last semester. Well, it had been a hit, they raised a lot of money, and there hadn't been as much drama surrounding it as he thought it would be. But…that had been what set off Zack's and Sadie's drama in the first place.

 **Cody:** I'll think of something, too. Just in case your idea crashes and burns. :)

 **Bailey:** Ha ha. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

 **Cody:** Later.

* * *

 **Cody's Log**

 _Hanging out with dad this weekend has been cool. It's weird to think about how things used to be. How I'd be lucky if I saw him once a year. How we would continuously beg for mom to let us see him when he came to a nearby sitting to tour. But those tour dates were late starts and mom wouldn't let us stay up to see him afterwards. Then he'd be on the road to the next city by that night._

 _It's great living here. Father-son bonding is important at any age and seeing him make an effort now is obviously supportive to our emotional and mental development. Yeah, I spent a lot of time looking at what Zack and I were missing when we were younger. Trying to push away the pain of his absence, I guess. And dad's learned how to be a better parent. He's actually got Zack to do his homework right when he comes in now instead of spending hours trying to entice him a little. (Not to say I haven't tried my hand at it either)._

 _Things have gotten even better between him and mom now that mom's dating Arwin. It's so strange to see how well that worked out. Mom found him to be so annoying at first but really got to know him as a friend over the years and now has fallen in love with him. (I don't think they've said the words to each other yet, though). But with dad they didn't really get the chance to be friends first. I'm glad they're at least getting along better now. I can remember all of the times they'd argue even when they thought Zack and I weren't paying attention._

 _We noticed every time they had a fight._

 _It was nearly every time they were around each other._

 _Now they could have long conversations and talk and actually laugh with each other. They're much better off as friends, anyway. Actually, they kind of remind me of Zack and Max in a way. Not as toxic, of course. Not even close. But looking like they didn't really fit together on a deeper level. They didn't talk about serious things, didn't really get to know each other on a deeper level. Not the way Max and Tapeworm had while growing up together._

 _But we're young and we all make mistakes. No one knows how relationships work when you're starting out and bumps and bruises are supposed to come along the way. I guess Max was Zack's bump and Sadie was Zack's bruise. An obstacle to show what he wanted in a relationship—bump, and a reminder of what he didn't—bruise. I really don't have a lot of space to talk about it; I haven't had a girlfriend since Barbara and I broke up. And she was a great girlfriend; we had a lot in common in terms of interests and thoughts for the future. But like everyone does in high school we grew part and she ended up dating Bob. I honestly didn't see that coming but they work great together._

 _It just goes to show how relationships—in any form—are important and it's what keeps us thriving. Humans are very social creatures and there's nothing that can tear that apart. Until one of society starts to break apart and be different in some way, deeming themselves a bit of an outcast whether it's voluntary or not._

 _*What school can improve on for next year: Counseling for teachers to recognize the signs of eating disorders and mental health as well as other resources for said students._

* * *

 **Sadie:** Hey Cody, sorry to bug you. But I was wondering if we could meet up before school and help me with my speech. They're due tomorrow and I'm not making any progress and I'm desperate.

Cody thought for a moment, re-reading the message that suddenly appeared over his journal document. He hadn't said more than five words to Sadie in years and hadn't wanted to interact with her after what she did to Zack. But she _had_ apologized and she did seem sincere. How many people wanted to be humiliated in front of the entire school by being unprepared.

 _It's just one time,_ he reminded himself.

 **Cody:** Um...sure, I'll take a look.

 **Sade:** Thanks! You're the best!

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait on this chapter. I'm not sure how many people even saw the last update because of the problem with FFN's alerts. But I wanted to make sure the bug was fixed before posting again as well as go back and do some edits and changes. Hope you guys like it.

Like Zack's story, most of this will be from Cody's POV but there will be other characters' POVs as the story goes on.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	4. Is Andromeda As Far As They Go

**.:3:.**

* * *

"So how did your little meeting with Sadie go?"

Cody shrugged as he gathered his things together. He briefly glanced at his watch. The meeting of the student government had ended sooner than he thought, so there was plenty of time to hang out with their friends before their first period classes started. Then he focused back on Bailey's question.

He had met Sadie not long before the meeting was to start, leaving at what Zack called 'the butt crack of dawn' to get there. (Cody reminded himself to ask their dad if Zack had eaten breakfast that morning). She had met him with a friendly, yet distant smile, seemingly as aware of the discomfort between them. Cody hadn't outright said that he would call the police on her the last time she, Zack, and Cody had spoken, but it had been implied. He felt bad about it, really. But Sadie needed to learn a lesson. No one was going to mess with his brother and get away with it, and she needed to learn that her actions had consequences.

Their conversation had been straight and to the point, her speech was lacking and he helped her out a little with it. Not writing it entirely himself, he had been taken advantage of in that aspect enough in his life to know how to avoid it. She had been very receptive to the instruction he gave her and she had been very thankful when they were finished.

Nothing so out of the ordinary. Neither of them had said anything about her former relationship with Zack and she promised to make up for taking time out of his day to help her before parting ways. It was like she was an entirely different person from the vindictive and angry girl she had been when Zack broke up with her.

"It was fine," Cody said. "I think I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that she willingly asked for my help."

"Because she should've asked me instead?" Bailey flashed a charming smile, fluttering her eyelashes.

Cody laughed. "You had to get that last one in there didn't you?"

"I'm just saying…I was the first one to be voted as the president of the class."

" _Co-_ president," Cody reminded her. The two left the meeting room and headed towards their lockers. "And the only reason you were 'voted' first,"—he used air quotes around the word—"was because they read your name alphabetically. Which, really, it should've been my name first because my last name comes before yours. But this is Miss. Tutweiller we're talking about and she likes to do things 'off the cuff'." He shook his head. "Remind me to mention that in her teacher evaluation at the end of the year."

"Sure, and she'll have her hopes and dreams dashed with it after she reads my glowing review of how she made me valedictorian."

The two laughed. The hallways started to become filled with students coming into school for the day, excited to talk about what had happened to each other over the weekend. Cody and Bailey ran into Patrick and Noah Jackson as they went, Patrick bouncing a basketball at his side as he went.

"Hey," Patrick greeted them. "Did you remember to bring your gear for practice at lunch?" He chest-passed the ball to Cody, who easily caught it, then brought it up to his finger to spin the ball on top. He smiled, watching it for a few seconds, and bounced it back over to Noah.

"Yeah, I remembered," Cody said. "I guess it's also good that I worked as the team manager for a while, so I'll know how to time the laundry in enough time to practice later."

"Ah, you mean after you were a cheerleader?" Noah teased.

"Being a cheerleader is very respectable," Cody called back.

"And it looks good on his resume," Bailey added, as the groups parted.

The two continued towards the hallway that held the lockers for the senior class, smiling, waving, and greeting other students from other classes as they went. Cody was happy to see how everyone appeared happy to see each other. Honestly, starting senior year it was the first time he felt popular. Not just because of being on the basketball team, finally, but because of what he was doing to run the school. They didn't have a complete student body president, but the senior class presidents, who served that role. They led the team to make the different events for the school as well as worked with the senior class for their volunteering efforts, class gift, and class trip.

With the end of the school year coming so close, they, thankfully, only had a few events left that they had to plan. Not including making sure graduation went on without a hitch. As it was, he hated the idea of leaving. Not just because of the first thing that came to mind, leaving his friends, but because of leaving Boston and everything he had become to see as his home after moving around so much. It was as bittersweet as it was exciting and his high hopes for Yale was far enough away but not too far from his family to visit.

The next step in his life was looming closer and he was finding that he hoped it would stay back a little bit longer, no matter how prepared he had been for academia since he was little.

"How _is_ basketball going anyway?" Bailey asked.

"Are you really asking or do you mean how's _Zack_ doing?" Cody corrected her. Bailey bobbed her head back and forth. "It's not so bad. I can see that he's frustrated that he's not doing as much as he wants to, though. I think sitting on the bench is starting to get to him more than it did when he first started out on the bench."

"As long as he's getting the chance to play again," Bailey said.

"Yeah, now if only he saw it that way."

The two made their way to the senior hall and it seemed like everything was amped up then. Almost like each hallways of classes were different cities. The freshmen was like a farm community in a way, keeping to themselves and not one to completely mingle with the rest of the city; intimidated at their status of being the new students but growing bolder as their year went on. Sophomores were the portions of the suburbs that had a great sense of community and wanting to help each other, a little boisterous at times, much like a block party. The juniors were the hustle and bustle of a city, understanding they weren't the youngest nor the oldest but that there was a lot of upcoming responsibility for them. Stuck between work and play.

The seniors were like the downtown area of a city, the place that everyone knew about and liked to visit. There was always something going on, something to be excited about. And that's definitely what Cody and Bailey stepped into that morning. It was like everyone was in a good mood; his classmates were talking and laughing with each other. Some were laughing over something they were showing on their phone, others were going over their homework from the day before, some were on their computers, the Drew Crew were clearly talking about whatever party they had gone to from their boisterous laughter and 'remember when' moments. But then Cody heard the sound of music coming from the part of the locker bay that their friends had claimed.

(Well, not claimed so much as their last names all lined up making it easier to find a place to hang out between classes). Cody smiled to himself when he spotted his friends. Max (of course), Riley, Rhuben, and Crystal were dancing around to the music that was coming from Tapeworm's laptop, that rested on his lap. Tapeworm and Zack both had comic books up over their faces and were pointing things out to each other every few seconds. Moose, Janice, and Jessica sat along with them with Janice and Jessica hanging on to every word that Moose was saying, probably reminiscing about life back in Kettlecorn. He and Bailey had gone back home over the break and it seemed like their old idiosyncrasies had become strengthened once they did so.

Then again, when he and Zack went to visit their relatives, specifically those in Appletown, Texas, where their Aunt Martha lived, they were consistently teased for the slight Boston accent they had apparently picked up. As far as Cody knew, he didn't have an accent.

"Hey!" Bailey greeted, lifting her voice over the music as they approached. "What're you guys doing?"

"Rhu was showing us the new routine the dance team came up with," Max replied, still working on her fancy footwork without a break in stride. "You want to try it out?"

"Sure!"

Bailey put down her purse and backpack and joined in with them while Cody sat down on the floor with the guys. He glanced up at Rhuben as she moved to Bailey's side and slowly—yet quickly—moved through the steps she had just learned. She had always been a very graceful dancer and while Cody wasn't a pervert—or didn't consider himself once—he found it really hard to not watch as she danced. Well, he knew the _real_ reason why but, unlike Zack, he was never one to be that open.

With a low sigh, Cody leaned back against the lockers behind him and stretched out his legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankle. He looked down at his clothes, the more laid-back casual style he had started at the beginning of the school year. It had been a hard change for him to go from sweater-vests to hoodies and skater shoes that he used to wear when he was really young. But he found it to work well, allowing him to grow up. There was a lot of growing up they had to do within the next couple of months, but that didn't mean he didn't have to still be himself in personality.

 _Face it, Cody, you spend too much time comparing yourself to Zack,_ he thought. Which was certainly true. Everyone around them compared the twin boys so much that Cody found himself stuck in that rut time and time again. There were a lot of things that he could do better than Zack and vice-versa. It was the things they _couldn't_ do that showed up more than anything else. Cody took in another deep breath.

That wasn't so true as of late. Now he felt more for the adversities Zack was facing; once the most popular boy in school due to his athleticism and outgoing personality was not watched for entirely different reasons. It wasn't like Zack was completely incompetent and couldn't do things for himself, but he needed to have someone in his corner, no questions asked. That's what twins were for, right?

"So dude," Zack said, grasping Cody's attention. "We're going to play Galactic Warriors tonight in the Tipton's game room."

Cody's eyes narrowed. "I thought you were still playing Medieval Magic Quest. Like, the _last_ time I tried to change games, you tried to shove your wand up my nose."

"Yeah," Zack said. "And I barely got it in before you were whining and crying about it."

Cody crossed his arms. "You know I have sensitive sinuses."

"You have a sensitive everything!" Zack rolled his eyes. "And Mr. Moseby was starting to get on my case because was getting mad that I was playing and doing plundering mission without him." He waved his hands in the air. "How was I supposed to know he had a lot of those boring manager meeting to go to? Plundering doesn't wait for anybody!"

Cody laughed.

"Galactic Warriors is the hottest new game," Tapeworm then explained, lowering his comic book once more. "Not only did it get the highest projected score for the most highly anticipated game of the year, but the pre-orders have sold out for _months."_

"So how'd you get the game?" Cody asked.

Tapeworm's smile turned into a smirk. "I have an uncle who works in marketing and this was one of the games they had been working on so he got an advanced copy of the game." He reached over and patted his backpack. "Yep, in just a few short hours we'll be playing a game of intergalactic destruction from here all the way to Andromeda."

"Is Andromeda as far as they go?" Cody asked. "What about the Interacting, Starburst, and active galaxies? Like the Blazars and Quasar?"

"I'm not sure but the luminous infrared galaxies should be included as well. I heard they had gotten Neil DeGrasse Tyson included on the creation of the game. To make sure things were scientifically correct."

"What about magnetic fields? You can't ignore those, too."

"There're entire campaigns surrounding them."

"What about—"

"Oh my _God_!" Zack declared. He slapped his comic book over his face. "I've never been so _bored_ in my entire life." He paused, his pause directly coinciding with Bailey turning off the music to catch her breath. "Well, except the time Max made me watch The Notebook with her."

Almost as if there was a record scratch, Max whipped her head towards her ex-boyfriend, rolling her body along with the movement and rested her hands on her hips. "Excuse me? I didn't _force_ you to watch it." She tapped her finger against her cheek. "Actually, I fell asleep when we were watching and _you_ kept watching the entire thing."

"There was nothing else on," Zack defended himself when Moose, Tapeworm and Cody all turned their attention to Zack. All trying their best to keep smug smiles on their faces. Who would've thought rough and tumble Zack Martin would enjoy a Nicholas Sparks film?

"Mhm." Now Max projected major attitude in her voice. "So how did I force you?"

Now Zack lifted an eyebrow, a mischievous look flashing through his eyes. "Well, I'm not sure if _you_ remember, but after homecoming—"

"Can we stop with this bizarre version of the Newlywed Game for a minute?" Riley broke in. She nodded her head towards Bailey and Cody. "How was the student government meeting…thing?" Cody watched her as she spoke. She didn't cringe; actually she did a great job of keeping her expression neutral. But he could see in her eyes that she was practically smacking herself in the forehead. Especially since the last thing she would've cared about was the student government meeting.

"It was fine," Cody said. "We were going over the budget that we have for the senior trip mostly."

"And?" Janice asked.

"How much do we have?" Jessica asked, the moment her sister finished her one-word sentence.

"Not enough to go as far as say, Cape Cod," Bailey said.

"Cape Cod, really?" Moose asked. His eyes lit up at the thought. Then his excited smile faded when everyone turned to look at him. "I heard they have really good fish. And there's nothing I enjoy more than a good ol' fish fry."

"Aw, I know what you mean," Bailey said. Her tone suddenly turned wistful as she tilted her head to the side. "Nothing was better than going fishing down at the lake and getting a nice, big, fish for dinner. Helping my dad skin and de-bone them was always the highlight of my day."

"You didn't get out much, did you?" Max asked.

Bailey didn't take offense to Max's question. "With as many sisters as I have? Not so much. Sometimes it'd be hard to get any attention so it was a special moment with my dad."

"Hmm." A smug smile came to Crystal's face. "I know the feeling." Clearly she was referring to how her cousins had all been taken in by her father once their abuse foster father had lost his rights to them. He remembered shortly after they moved into her house how much she complained that they 'took up so much space and keep touching my stuff' and she could barely be heard over their talking.

"We made your lives that much more entertaining, I reckon there's no need for you to complain, yeah?" Rhuben said. Crystal smiled, not denying the statement.

"But what were you saying about the budget? We don't have enough to go on the senior trip?" Max's eyebrows came together. "That sucks, that's the only thing that suffering through high school for four years makes worthwhile."

"We're trying to come up with a lot of different fundraising ideas for it," Cody said calmly. Though he understood their hesitation. Past years of senior trips had been some of the best events the school had put on. There was a trip to Disney World, a trip to LA, a trip to Seattle…and so far they were the only ones that hadn't come up with anything and the time to get it blocked out by the school was getting really close. "So far, Sadie suggested that we have another dance next month."

"A dance before prom?" Tapeworm's eyebrows rose. "Why don't they just increase the cost of the prom ticket?"

"Because there're enough students that the ticket price is already too high," Cody explained. _People like us,_ he added, looking over to Zack, noticing the intense expression on his face. The only times it got there was when he was angry or when he was thinking very hard. The latter that he hadn't seen too often. They both had jobs, but there was only so much that they could afford to spend on prom tickets, a tuxedo, flowers, reservations… "Not to mention how much we need to spend on the different vendors and everything. We came up with our budget after factoring all of that in."

"So what about this second dance?" Janice asked. She lifted her hands as if reading off a newspaper title. "What if we made it a Sadie Hawkins theme?"

Jessica clapped her hands together. "Where the girls ask the boys? That sounds so romantic."

"Really, _really_ romantic."

"Hey, as long as I'm not the one paying for everything," Zack remarked, finally snapping out of his intense stare. A charming smile came to his face as he pointed to the British twins. "Actually, I think they have something there. What if you did a sort of…Winter Homecoming?"

"Homecoming is usually when alumni come back to the school, mate," Riley pointed out. "Hence the name, homecoming."

"No, hear me out," Zack said. He wrapped his arms around his knees. "The winter sports are the ones that don't get a lot of attention unless the team is winning. So if we treated these winter sports like it was a homecoming event, even going so far as to have another spirit week, there'd be enough excitement for the ticket price to the dance, and maybe even admission to the games, from candy sales…it's enough to make it so that by the time prom comes around, the money collected from _those_ tickets will be chump change."

"Is there going to be another date auction?" Max teased.

"No!" Bailey and Cody said at the same time, making everyone laugh.

But Janice and Jessica were the only ones who pouted. "It stinks that we had to miss it," Jessica said. She let out a sigh, tilting her head and twisting her hair around her finger. "I mean, it seems like it'd only be fair if we were to have one for the girls."

"No!" This time Bailey was the only one who said it. She glared at Cody, who suddenly seemed as interested as Zack, Tapeworm, and Moose all did. It wasn't necessarily a _bad_ idea. There had to be something they could do that would have the same fundraising efforts to it. Of course the worst part was the double-standard that arose.

"I mean, isn't that what prom is for anyway?" Tapeworm spoke up. The smile on his face proved that he really thought he was making things better, but the glares from Max and Bailey that turned his way immediately wiped the smile off his face. "What? What'd I say?"

"Never try to understand girls, Tape, it just makes things worse," Zack said. Then all glares, including Cody's, turned his way. Zack looked around and threw his hands into the air. " _What?!"_

The bell rang, signaling them to go to their first class. No time to explain the points of sexism and double standard that day. As it was, he would probably get eyes rolls in response. Was it his fault that he tried to make sure he treated girls as well as they should? Cody got up from the floor and wet to his locker to gather his books for his first class; Advanced English. He looked over his shoulder, finding Tapeworm and Max walking off down the hall together, Moose, Bailey, Janice, and Jessica talking together as they hurried to their class, and Crystal and Riley arm-in-arm as they walked together, talking to Zack as he walked backwards to talk to them.

 _Maybe that's the problem,_ Cody thought. _I'm too busy thinking of everything while they're so busy doing everything._ The last girlfriend he had was Barbara and, before she moved to date Bob, they had a real puppy love that resulted in his first drama free relationship. It had been nice, they had a lot in common but…he didn't quite feel the kind of spark that felt he would make him do anything to be with her. (Other than the time he had snuck Barbara into his dad's apartment and got caught, after that night he was scared from doing anything like that ever again).

His entire high school career had been encompassed with making sure he got the best grades and was at the top of his game academically, being on every academic team, club, and position he could possibly be in. But what did all of that mean if there wasn't anyone to share it with?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Cody looked over at Rhuben as he closed his locker door, surprised to still find her there. Her dark blue eyes roved over him for a minute. Her eyebrows rose as she pulled her strand of purple hair form her eyes. "Actually, I reckon a dollar, you look really…lost."

Lost? That wasn't the word he would use to describe himself. "Really?"

"Or, lost in thought."

That was better. "Just a lot to think about," Cody said. "School stuff, mostly. And Zack. We made a bet that I lost and I have to do his homework for the next two days."

"And that's a problem, because?" Now Rhuben's eyebrows lowered as they headed off to class. She was in Advanced English as well as Riley, Crystal, and Bailey. "You never had a problem doing his work before, no matter how much you whinged about it."

"Yeah, but that was before it actually decided whether or not he was going to graduate," Cody reminded her. He frowned. That wasn't true, it had happened before. And he had gone to summer school for it. But this time it was Zack's lazy study habits and something that he couldn't really control that was putting his life at Zack. Zack didn't talk about it much, he rarely even reacted to it or when their teachers would comment on the work that was missing or needed to be turned in. But he knew his brother, his twin, and knew it was only a matter of time until it started tog et to him. "Now I really don't know what he's going to do."

"He asked us for help, didn't he?" Rhuben pointed out. "And you have to admit he doesn't usually ask for help unless there's some sort of monetary and entertaining gain for him." She motioned with her hand. "Remember when he convinced the rest of us to hold a car wash in sophomore year and he 'just so happened' to be the one to take the money to the principal and 'just so happened' that there was an arcade competition along the way?"

"Oooh, yeah," Cody said. He frowned. He had bailed Zack out of that one, too. But not after letting him know how lazy and entitled he was for it. "That wasn't fun."

"What are you talking about? You had a blast."

"No, I mean, it wasn't fun because Zack wasn't there." Cody frowned, realizing how bad that sounded. "I mean, not that I can't do things without him but—"

"—But it's more fun when your twin is there, I get it," Rhuben said with a warm smile that she typically reserved for him. And she would. She and Riley were the first set of twins he and Zack had met in a long time. One of the first conversations they had when they met was the strange questions and comments they got for being twins. Being able to talk to someone else about it was always easier.

And things had been easy since he met her, even if they were exes. Fortunately their breakup had been very amicable and they'd remained close since then. Cody watched her as she gave him another smile before ducking into the classroom, moving into the seat that was across the room from his own assigned one. Cody felt warmth start in his stomach and spread to his cheeks, a surefire sign he was blushing.

A strange thought entered his head just then. One that didn't make sense for the conversation at hand but was also very telling.

He liked being around his brother, loved being a twin, but was glad there were times where he could be by himself and his own person.

The strange part was that he hadn't noticed how much he truly did care about being his own person, despite the issues of their constant comparison being within himself.

* * *

 **A/N:** Pacing moves faster with the next chapter but it does bring up Cody's biggest issue, wanting to be there for his brother while trying to equally balance being his own person. I think there were moments of that struggle on the show/s such as in _Rumors_ from SLOZAC and _Goin' Bananas_ from SLOD.

Please let me know what you think.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	5. Cody's Log I

**.:4:.**

 _Cody's Log I_

* * *

 **Cody's Log**

* * *

 _It's been a few days since I've last written—or to be completely accurate, typed. I didn't realize time was moving by so quickly. I've been so busy. There's so much work that needs to be done if we're going to have this Sadie Hawkins dance done next month and Prom in April. But it seems like everyone is really excited about it once it was announced this morning. Guys and girls are equally excited. The guys being that they don't have the pressure of having to ask, pay for the ticket, pay for the ride, and whatever else expense that would come from it. And the girls were excited for the same reason, if there was anyone they particularly wanted to go with they could just ask. He heard some excited over the excuse to get a new dress as well as others glad there was another event being put on rather than just waiting for prom and graduation._

 _Especially since prom was rumored to be turning into an event only juniors and seniors could attend. Our school isn't big enough for a football team, but it's big enough that we have trouble dealing with accommodations for all the students attending. In laymen's terms, I mean money. That's always been something that parents, teachers, and staff alike whispered about. Something Mr. Forgess publicly stated he would remedy when taking on the mantle of becoming the Principal for the High School. Though as far as I know, government funding is one of the biggest things that should be changed for our public school and other public schools in our city and other areas. That was always going to be an issue to overcome. But in terms of money for the students, he was proactive in that area._

 _Nevertheless, there was always an incident for money with each class that moved through school. We've had as many fundraisers as any other class has had and it continued to be the main topic of discussion for the student council each time they met up. Hopefully this is a tactic that'll work out. I've said it one before an I'll say it again, Zack should join the student council. But each time I bring it up, he snorts and rolls his eyes. Then he says something about it only being for nerds and dweebs and the conversation would be over._

 _But I kept trying. That's the way to deal with Zack sometimes, to continue mentioning it until he can't say 'no' anymore. Or make him think it was his idea. Okay, I'll admit, it sounds bad. But it worked. Nagging him to do his homework, nagging him to do his chores, working on eating healthier. Okay, that was more that he got annoyed of my acting like Chef Paolo and not wanting to get sick from eating so much sugar and junk food all the time. Sure, he slimmed down and worked out more but his diet didn't change so much. (I can't even begin to tell you how many times I'd wake up in the middle of the night listening to Zack crunch on chips while he played his video game)._

 _I tend to do this a lot. To point out Zack's flaws and everything. But that's not what I write in here for. I write for me and to speak about what's going on during my day or what I'm working through. A stream of consciousness if you will. You can figure out some of the most inner workings of your mind while doing so. I may as well admit it, one thing I can say about Zack is he's creative when he needs to be. I didn't think a Sadie Hawkins Homecoming would work out, but Bailey and I talked about it with Mr. Forgess—as he's the faculty advisor to the whole student counsel along with Miss. Tutweiller—and he totally went for it._

 _Miss. Tutweiller practically screamed with excitement when we brought it up, too. I think she's a little more excited than the students are. (She did say something about finally being able to have a date that wasn't her cousin or one of her cats). Miss. Tutweiller is quirky like that. Still, she does greatly care for her students, even though I'd question her teaching abilities sometimes. There have been many times I should've gotten higher marks on my tests and she would just give me straight 100s. (I'm still trying to get Mr. Forgess to understand my plight with this. I think I'm wearing him down)._

 _I don't worry about Zack as much as I used to but I still worry. He has been doing better. He does his homework, he goes to therapy once a week, he does his homework for therapy, works hard to stay on the basketball team, he goes to work at the Tipton daycare nearly every day, and has even worked be a better friend. Yeah, he still makes fun of me, Tape, and Bailey for being so into our academics but not as much as he used to. And if you know Zack, you know that's a change._

 _Still, there are things that Zack hasn't changed. I know he's still throwing up. Not as much as he used to and some of the time it's not even that he's doing it on purpose. I've noticed recently that whenever he became anxious, he would become nauseous. Sometimes he'd throw up, other times he would curl up in a ball and hold his arms around his stomach. But one time recently I think I heard him throwing up on purpose. We had been doing homework together—that was something that I gently insisted upon. I wouldn't do the homework for him—other than our bet, but I'd do it with him._

 _He was grumpy about that at first and rolled his eyes but went along with it. I think that helped. But I noticed he had been staring at the same page in his math book for probably twenty minutes. Frowning at the same problems in front of him. Then he got to his feet and ran to the bathroom. I was seconds behind him, only stopping when the door nearly hit me in the face. I immediately started to knock._

 _"Zack? Are you okay?"_

 _"I'm fine." He didn't sound fine. "Go away."_

 _"Are you sure? I can get you some ginger ale. Oh! Or I could make you some tea." Not to toot my own horn, but I'm amazing at making tea. Anything having to do with food, really. I knew chamomile teal was good at calming down anxieties as it was for nausea._

 _Zack didn't reply._

 _I listened hard, pressing my ear against the door. And I heard a low coughing sound a few times before the sound of liquid hitting the toilet water. I frowned, shaking my head as my stomach sank. I did a lot of studying of eating disorders since Zack's diagnosis and had prided myself in my medical knowledge enough to know that he had made himself throw up. If it had just happened, there wouldn't have been the extra sounds of what resembled sticking a finger—or even a tongue depressor—down his throat._

 _When Zack came out of the bathroom, I waited for him the entire time, he didn't look at me. He just went back to the table and started working again, wiping his hand on the legs of his jeans. I thought it was a nervous movement at the time, but now I knew he was trying to dry off the finger that he used to stick down his throat._

 _That's disgusting._

 _But it's his life now. He wasn't going to be 100% better for the rest of his life even if he made himself throw up ten years down the line. It was something he would manage for the rest of his life. I want to help but he won't let me do it._

 _It's okay though, I'm patient._

 _And he's my brother, I'm not going to give up on him._

 _I guess not much else has been going on. We won another one of our games, putting us closer towards the championships. Actually, I made the winning shot. (My studies of physics and angles make it easy for me to get the shots no matter where I am on the court). It was embarrassing, really. I've never been an athletic guy and to know I was the one that won that game for us was hard to get used to. But there was Zack, being the first to congratulate me._

 _Before, he would've gotten mad and tried his hardest to get better to beat me. Honestly, I know it's not true, but I know I'm the reason Zack started his eating disorder. He didn't like that I was good and wanted to get better than me._

 _There's that twin comparison for you._

 _As for my friends, not much has been going on. The semester only just started so we're still trying to figure things out; with SATs and ACTs coming in close, college applications going out, senior projects needing to be finished, determining what was going to happen when we graduated. Or maybe that was me, wondering where everyone was going to be going. Alright, I'll admit, I'm being a little selfish. Boston was my home and as much as I want to go to Yale, the thought of leaving my home and friends scared me. Or, maybe losing someone in particular…_

 _There's that stream of consciousness I was talking about before._

 _Rhuben had said she wanted to return to Australia last semester but decided to stay to finish out the school year. But there was still the chance she'd go back once graduating. We didn't talk about it much, when I tried she would change the subject. Or maybe it was something else. She and her siblings hadn't said anything about Robert being back around again but that didn't mean he would give up trying to talk to them. Crystal had said her father, Christian, was constantly running interference in case he contacted them once more._

 _And I was glad for that, they didn't need any memory of the pain they went through. She and her siblings had certainly changed since we met; she was a lot happier and nicer but it had only been a few years and I can still see the hesitation and distrust creep into her face at times._

 _I think that's scarier than anything. Knowing on the outside people look fine but on the inside, they were hurting._

 _I didn't think Zack would be the one hurting._

 _I'm still going to help him the best way I can._

 _But sometimes, I just want him to talk to me._

 _I mention it to him and he just does the same thing. He smiles at me and says, "Don't worry about me, Cody. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."_

 _That's my secret though, as much as he can stand on his own two feet, I always worry about him._

 _So much so that I never realize when I should be worrying about myself._

 **A/N:** Just as a reminder; Christian, Crystal, and Aaron Manning (cousins to the Jacksons) are owned by Crystal Manning while the Jacksons are owned by me. Sorry it took so long for me to update. I hope you guys enjoyed it.

Please let me know what you thought. Also, for the reviewer that asked, I do have some other Zack-centered stories coming up as well as those that enjoy this AU series, I have a series that comes directly after this one that I'm planning as well.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	6. It Means What It Means

**.:5:.**

* * *

Hearing a car door slam, Zack shot awake. His eyes flew open, heart raced, and he rocketed forward against his seat belt, rubbing his eyes. It took him a second to realize the car was quiet, turned off. They'd arrived at school. One of his least favorite places to be. Reaching behind him, Zack pulled his backpack from the floor, using his other hand to simultaneously open his door. He unfolded himself from the car and glanced at Cody with suspicious, narrowed eyes.

"You could've woken me up," he muttered, voice thick with sleep

"And miss you snoring your head off?" Cody asked. He flipped the car keys in his hands before sticking them in the pocket of his messenger bag. The same one Zack eyed with disdain every time he saw it. Cody insisted it wasn't a purse but he sure did defend himself a lot when Zack commented on it. The color didn't help his case either.

"Anything to drown out that stupid NPR stuff you listen to," Zack said.

Cody rolled his eyes but didn't respond. It was a conversation they had nearly every time they drove to school. It wasn't that often as they borrowed their father's car, and they typically walked with their friends. But every now and then they drove and every now and then they argued over what station to listen to. They did share some of the same interests in music; equally enjoying Green Day, Rolling Stones, their dad's band, and Iron Weasel. Still, Cody also greatly enjoyed listening to the news. Of which bored Zack to sleep.

Okay, it was more likely that Zack hadn't slept at all the night before that had his face pressed ungracefully against the window, mouth hanging open to catch flies as he snored. Cody looked at him every now and then, shaking his head as he drove them to school. There was no point in saying anything. It'd just ignite Zack's horrible attitude in the morning and he didn't want to push him any further away then he already was.

"Whatever." With kind eyes, Cody held a cup of coffee out to his brother.

Zack looked at it in confusion. He took the coffee from Cody and looked it over. "When did you get this?"

"When I stopped for gas."

Zack took a sip then sputtered. "Ugh! It's cold!"

"It would've been warmer if you were awake when I bought it."

"Yeah, yeah…" Zack brought up his hand and rubbed at his eyes again. He looked around the front of the school where everyone was milling around before heading inside. Why did it seem like everyone but him could get up and get ready with no issues when he was practically dying to stay awake. And now he had a meeting to go to… "Can they make it illegal to have to get up so early?"

Cody smiled. "Well, often it's not the time you sleep, but how many hours your body gets. So much so that there are places in the world that have days filled with sunlight or days filled with darkness that—"

"—If I needed a lecture, I'd tell Miss. Tutweiller that I was going to release a stink bomb during exams."

Cody's smile widened. "Were you thinking about it?"

"Yeah. But if I'm going to do a good prank before we leave, to make my mark on this school, it's going to be better than a couple of stink bombs." With that, the two went into the school. Zack immediately went to Mr. Forgess's office as he were to do every week to determine how well his grades were. They hadn't been back in school after the holidays for long, but he knew it was time to know how his GPA was looking. They probably wanted to talk about college applications and stuff, too.

How boring.

He'd rather be talking about going to detention, honestly. Just to keep the anxiety at bay. Pitching his coffee into a nearby trashcan, Zack brought his hand up, starting to chew on the end of his sweatshirt sleeve. It was so weird. There were so many things in his life he was confident about; his looks, his life, his way with friends, talking to people…his smarts were one of his biggest insecurities in life, but all the same, failure was the worst thing he could ever face. What was the point of trying to apply himself to do these things when he knew he was going to fail anyway? It's why he never tried on his tests or his studies, no one thought he could do it and expected him to fail, why try to prove them wrong?

It'd just make a big deal of things and he didn't want the comments like, "Wow, Zack, you really _are_ smart."

No, thank you.

Turning the corner to Mr. Forgess's office, Zack's shoulder collided with Drew's. The two recoiled with pain before turning to face each other. Zack shifted his gaze away for a moment before he looked Drew in the eye. As usual, Drew had nothing but a smug smile to send Zack's way. Somehow, he always managed to stay on top of the social food chain and worked to knock everyone else down a peg despite being a jerk. Of course, his wealth was a big part of it, intimidation and fear had to be it as well. Zack had seen Drew cast people out of his friend group with so little as being bored with them than any other actual reason.

"What are you doing here?" Drew asked. The air of confidence around him made Zack want to strangle him. He hated the smug look that continued to set on Drew's shrew-like face and equally hated how badly he had wanted to be the boy's friend and be part of the cool group when he first moved to Boston. Since then, Drew ignored him for the most part, but continued to make snide comments every now and then, mostly towards Cody's smarts.

Zack could make fun of his brother being a nerd, but no one else could. "The only reason I'm ever going to Mr. Forgess's office," Zack shot back. "You?"

"Same thing."

Zack wasn't quite sure what that meant. Drew rarely got sent to the principal's office. And when he did, it was only because of the disturbances that he'd created in school. Bringing food trucks during lunch because he wanted a taco—and not that crap the lunch ladies made, as Drew loudly proclaimed—bringing inflatable obstacles for the students to play on simply because he was bored, making a betting website for sports teams—no _real_ money was ever exchanged, Drew wasn't _that_ stupid—just because he could, as well as making his own kind of fun; mostly stringing along any girl that wanted to get with him before casting her off with a laugh to move onto the next person.

And girls still wanted to be with him all because he knew how to handle them. _At least I'm not as bad as him,_ Zack thought. He could only ask for small favors. "What's that mean?"

"It means, what it means," Drew replied. Zack screwed up his face, realizing Drew's statement made no sense. Then again, Drew never really made any sense, usually sticking with his money to get him through things. "So, I've been hearing around that you seem to be in a good, happy relationship."

"The school's not so big, Drew, it's not something that'd be hard to figure out," Zack said slowly. Besides, relationship wasn't the word he'd use. Who knew dating could be _that_ confusing? Well, other than how confused he was when he first started to become interested in Max.

He was 12. He liked girls, sure, flirted with them as much as he could, but it was fun and it was good practice. But Maddie was a woman, she was the only person he had ever had eyes for. Max was never on his radar as anything other than being one of the guys. But then she kissed him and he saw her at the restaurant and that had all gone flying out the window. Sure, he messed things up and they went back to being friends, though not for long until they were spotted kissing after a day of school ended.

And everything after that was a short story that Zack didn't want to rehash time and time again.

"But it must make you feel so good, right?" Drew insisted.

Now Zack crossed his arms. "Actually, being with someone instead of continuously dumping them? Yeah, I think that's a lot better." He shrugged. "Then again, the more people that understand how much of an ass you are, the better for me."

Drew's eyes narrowed. He sniffed and brought up a hand, rubbing at his nose. "I've heard much worse from better people."

Zack finally narrowed his eyes. "Okay, man, what is your problem with me? Ever since I've been here in Boston you've done nothing but try to tear my down every chance you get. Just because we stopped being friends? So what? You weren't really my friend anyway." Something suddenly struck him. "I don't think you even know what being a friend actually means."

Drew pushed away the notion. "It's because you're popular."

"So?" He shot back. On any other day that would've made him smile just as smugly as Drew could force. But now it sounded so stupid. So petty. Nothing he really cared about. Because high school wasn't everything and there were more than enough things that'd hold his attention. _Wow, never thought about it like that before._ Or else it was something that had subconsciously entered his head during this therapy sessions.

"I can't have anyone be more popular than me," Drew explained. He took in a deep breath. "Not to mention you're such a stuck-up snob with your head so far up your ass I'm surprised you're not fucking blind." Zack continued to stare. "You walk around acting like you can get anything and everything you want and as much of an ass you are, people still like you."

Zack continued to stare at him. He wanted to laugh, but was completely unsure of the conversation. As a matter of fact, Zack wasn't quite sure what Drew meant with the whole thing. It was the dumbest explanation he'd ever heard and he'd given a lot of dumb ones to get out of trouble before. Actually, it felt like Drew was grasping at straws to have a conversation with him. Especially since the last time they'd talked—that Zack could remember or even care about—was when Sadie had hooked up with him at his party.

"Whatever, dude." Zack waved his hand. "I've got more important things to deal with." He started to turn away, but Drew grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around. Zack blinked in surprise then annoyance when Drew put his face close to his.

"Deal with this then!"

And Drew punched Zack hard in the stomach. Zack bent over, coughing hard. Drew backed away from him and Zack fell to his knees, bringing a hand up to his stomach. He could practically feel his stomach suddenly slant to the side, walls closing in on each other. He resisted the urge to throw up, forcing himself to keep calm. But the pain he felt from getting punched sucked a lot of energy out of him. Zack sucked in a deep breath and leaned back on his heels. He squinted open his eyes and watched as Drew backed away from him and turned the corner.

Bringing his hand up to his stomach, sucking in a deep, cleansing breath to calm himself. Finally, the pain started to subside, giving him the chance to stand up once more. He glared after Drew and shook his head, watching him leave. There was no point in worrying about him now. Besides, he wasn't worth it. Snitching on others was an unwritten rule of their school—you don't do it or else you get ganged up on later.

Plus, Drew wasn't worth it. Finally, reaching Mr. Forgess's office, Zack reached up and knocked on the door. He waited for a confident call of 'come in' before going inside. Zack stepped inside and raised an eyebrow. Mr. Forgess paced the room, scratching his head and twisting back and forth.

"Uh…what are you doing?" Zack asked.

Mr. Forgess straightened himself. "I had your transcript here a minute ago, but now I can't seem to find it."

"Does that mean my record's clean?" Zack asked with a grin.

"No, absolutely not."

"I had to try, right?"

Zack sat down in the chair opposite Mr. Forgess's desk and dropped his backpack to the ground. He sat there for a few moments before bringing his hand up to start chewing on the sleeve of his shirt again. Mr. Forgess continued to search through stacks of folders and papers that filled his office. Zack knew the man could be a bit forgetful at times, often going off on tangents when he had the chance. But completely losing a transcript? He'd never heard that one before.

 _But if it was going to be anyone's, it'd be mine,_ Zack thought. Then he annoyed himself even further, knowing Dr. Morrison was going to point out Zack's own pessimistic thoughts derailing his mood even further than his own anxieties from his eating disorder would. _Guess I really learned something._

"Getting an early snack in, Zack?" Miss. Tutweiller asked as she breezed through the door of the principal's office.

Zack looked up at her, pulling his hand from his mouth. "Oh yeah, I just love the taste of cotton this early in the morning."

"Most of us would just use coffee." Miss. Tutweiller laughed at her little joke, stopping abruptly when she caught site of the state Mr. Forgess was in. Zack leaned over and looked over as well. Mr. Forgess was on his knees, digging through the trash. "Mr. Forgess, what are you doing?"

"You like coffee, I like cotton, maybe Mr. Forgess wants to eat old banana peels," Zack joked. Both of his teachers glared back at him and he held up his hands, leaning back in his seat. Finally, Mr. Forgess stood up, brushing off the legs of his pants.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Emma, but I had Zack's transcripts out for us to look over but I seem to have misplaced it."

"So I can go, right?" Zack tried again.

And again, he was ignored. Instead, Miss. Tutweiller smiled and reached out, pressing her hand to the stack of papers she held against her chest. "That's alright, I've got a few papers from Zack's classes right here. We can just go over them this way." She pulled another chair over to the desk and Zack sat up straight, clasping his hands between his knees. "Now, these are papers that Zack has written recently, assignments he's needed to catch up on. He's completed each of these papers and with a steadying increase in skill with each one."

Zack smiled. Good to know all that stupid homework he had to catch up on was starting to help him out a little. Even when writing his papers and old pieces of homework he felt a bit of pride having finished each one. And great relief knowing he never had to do it ever again.

"But there's still a long way for him to go," Miss. Tutweiller continued. "He has to pass everything this semester with at least a B to graduate. Not only that, but there's also the applications he needs to put out. And we need to decide on those soon or else you won't be able to go to college next year."

Mr. Forgess sucked his lips into his mouth. "Have you ever considered a community college."

Zack snorted. "You mean the college for dumb kids?"

"Now, Zack, Community College isn't just for— "

"—Dumb kids?" Zack Interrupted. "It kind of is."

"No." Miss. Tutweiller turned in her seat to look at him, crossing her legs as she did so. Zack wasn't so much of a perv, but Miss. Tutweiller seriously didn't understand how attractive she was. If it weren't for all her cats, and her somewhat obsession with finding love, she would have a boyfriend. Especially with how much she cared for others. "Community College is there for those who need to get a few more credits before transferring to a four-year college. Sometimes it's more financially feasible. It offers a work-study balance for those who are older. There's nothing to be ashamed of, going to a community college."

"Some would even say it's a better option if you're trying to save money," Mr. Forgess added. "And, well, considering you and Cody want to go to school at the same time— "

"—Can't be too expensive," Zack remarked. "Schools would be throwing money at Cody for him to go. Hell, they'd even _give_ him the school so that he could grace the school with his presence." He threw his hands in the air. "Besides, I don't know if I want to go to school anyway."

Mr. Forgess folded his hands. "What are you going to do if you don't go to school?"

"I'll be a janitor or something, it doesn't take too much to clean," Zack said. "Or I'll just keep working at the Tipton Daycare. At least there's job security." He grinned evilly. "if Mr. Moseby ever tried to fire me, I'd just torture him for the rest of his life."

"What if he decides to move?" Mr. Forgess pointed out.

Zack's evil smile widened. "I'll find him."

Mr. Forgess and Miss. Tutweiller exchanged a glance. Then Mr. Forgess took in a deep breath and leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk. "Zack, we want you to have every opportunity that Cody or anyone else who graduates would have. You're very smart, but you don't give yourself a lot of credit. You're athletic and you're very good with things where you have to design or work with your hands." Zack stared at the principal, listening quietly. "There's many things you could do with those skills. You could go into sports management. You could go into graphic design, you could go into the fine arts, carpentry, architecture. Zack, there are a _lot_ of things that you can do, but you'd need a degree to do it. Going to community college can do that."

"What about a regular college?" Zack's eyes widened. He hadn't meant to ask the question out loud. As it was, he kind of mumbled the question. Mr. Forgess and Miss. Tutweiller looked at each other in confusion. Zack sighed and repeated louder, "What about a regular college? Is that out?"

"W-well, if I had your transcript, we could see..." Mr. Forgess started to stutter, looking through the papers that filled his desk once more. "We could see what your GPA is. But at the moment— "

"—What colleges were you thinking of looking at?" Miss. Tutweiller interrupted.

Again, she was using that gentle voice that tended to drive Zack crazy. He knew it was reserved for those that royally screwed up. Not to mention when the people who were speaking were trying to be extra sensitive. It annoyed him how often he'd heard that tone since leaving the hospital, but with Miss. Tutweiller, it was genuine. No matter how much her students ragged on her, she was always there for them.

Zack shrugged. "Well, I haven't really thought about it," he admitted. "But, uh, I guess maybe UMass. Or Boston University. Nowhere too far from home, I'm not sure how much money mom could spend on it." He scratched the back of his neck. "And, uh, NYU, I guess." That he hadn't told anyone. But when they first got into high school and they were asked the kinds of colleges they'd like to go to, NYU had been the first one Zack thought of. Not because of any programs in particular—he didn't even know what they offered—but because it was far enough away from home he wouldn't have his mother follow him.

And she'd threatened to do it enough times that he and Cody were starting to take it seriously.

NYU was a school that consistently sat in his peripheral. It was his first thought when college was ever brought up. But he never spoke about it out loud. _It'd be cool to go, but even though I know that's a crapshoot,_ Zack thought. And it seemed that his thoughts were being validated when Mr. Forgess and Miss. Tutweiller continued to sit quietly, alternatively staring at him and each other.

"NYU's a great school!" Miss. Tutweiller said, finally finding her voice.

Zack smirked. "But you don't think I can go." Then his smile faded, he couldn't keep his disappointment from his face. Saying it out loud, there was no way to keep it a secret to himself, something he was working toward. The idea of going to NYU was like a rose, pretty to look at, but as it continued to get buffeted it lost its appeal, turned black, and slowly started to die. He just ripped the last legs out of his proverbial rose. "I mean, I knew I can't, but— "

"It's not that you can't, Zack. It's just a matter of money, as I'm sure you were aware of," Mr. Forgess said, with Miss. Tutweiller nodding in agreement. "But there are so many scholarships you can get, grants…financial aid. There are a lot of things we can do to get you there."

"But your GPA is the only thing that might hold you back," Miss. Tutweiller added. "Which is why for the rest of the semester you really need to buckle down and make sure you work hard."

 _Like I haven't been already._ Zack nodded. He rested his chin in his hands, bobbing his knees up and down. There was so much to think about now that he opened his big mouth. He should've shut up and listened to what it was everyone had to say and take it from there. Now he was going to have so many people on his back, trying to keep him up to date on everything, they'd probably tell his mom, too…damn.

He should've kept his mouth shut.

"So, I've gotten nothing but good report from your teachers so far," Mr. Forgess said. "But we're getting really close to when college applications and the SATs. You're running a fine line on this, Zack. All the other seniors have their applications out, they're starting to get responses. We may be able to get you in late due to your…" he paused. "condition. But we'd need to make the decisions fast."

"I know," Zack said.

And that was all he needed to say. There were more than enough things for him to think about. And now, he just didn't care.

Finally, the meeting ended and Zack could leave to go to his locker before being late for his first period class. As he went, he looked down at the papers in his hands; applications for scholarships, information on college programs, figuring out where he could take the SATs last minute…and growled, rolling them up in his hands. He smacked himself in the forehead as he went. This was going to be a lot more work than he thought.

But…a small part of him was excited. Maybe things could turn around for him.

Zack nearly skipped as he turned the corner and headed to his locker. He watched as Riley backed away from her locker, grabbing her backpack up off the floor as she did so. Zack bounced over to her and put his hands over her eyes.

"Guess who just spent a _massive_ amount of time in the principal's office and would be willing to do anything else right now?" He dropped his hands to his sides when Riley reached up and pushed them away. She turned to face him and Zack motioned towards himself. "Frist two guesses don't count."

"It's not even February yet, and I reckon you've spent more time there this year than the last three combined, mate," she pointed out. "Was it bad?"

"Only if you consider a lost transcript bad," Zack said slowly. He really didn't want to talk about it. Thankfully, girls were just the thing to get his mind off what he was trying to avoid and this one had his attention. Without looking, he reached over and opened his locker, tossing the papers inside. "But that one's not on me."

"So, something _wasn't_ your fault?" Riley teased.

"Nothing's ever my fault, I'm just the scapegoat," Zack shot back. He lifted his finger. "I learned that from all of the reading I've had to do recently. And of course, Cody had to give me a lesson on the history of the word." His face screwed up. "And you know I'm no good at history."

"That's a lie," Riley swiftly returned. "History is your best subject, you just don't like doing any of the work." She smiled warmly at him and for a minute Zack wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Or else life was playing a funny game with him considering how negative and positive things continued to happen to him in a cycle. One minute he was being told college may not happen for him—save a miracle—and the next he had his girl's attention.

"That's exactly what Principal Forgess and Miss. Tutweiller were saying," Zack said. He paused. "it's the _truth_ but I've heard it enough times to let it go through one ear and out the other."

"I think that may be your problem, Z."

"Maybe it is."

Zack smiled down at her then suddenly felt...weird. He wasn't quite sure where they were at the moment. And if anything was going to go well that day, this was it. "Is everything okay?" He asked. Riley raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to clarify. "With us, I mean."

"Yeah." Riley ran a hand through her hair. "At least, I thought so." She suddenly looked nervous, shuffling her feet, running the toes of her shoes over the other. "Why? Is…there something wrong?"

"No! No, it's just…" Zack frowned. This wasn't him. He was usually so confident and knew exactly what to say. But this, he really wanted this, wanted _something_ to go right. _At least for today._ "Since new year's it was like you haven't wanted to do anything…with me," he pointed out. There. He said it.

Relief watched over him when he saw Riley's face clear and she laughed a little. "Well, once you guys left New York we went up to the mountains for a couple of days and had no service there. But since getting back, I've been busy. It has nothing to do with you. But…" she sighed, and her voice lowered as she said, "I'm sorry I made you feel that way."

"Oh no, I was just making sure," Zack said quickly. He had to keep up appearances, had to make sure he wasn't going to break down. But knowing it wasn't him that was doing anything wrong really gave his ego a boost. So much so that he could feel himself straighten from the position of his curling into himself. "You know." He held up his hands and made finger guns. "Just…keeping it cool."

Riley laughed. "Did you just do finger guns?"

"Yes, and I'm already regretting it," Zack said. He dropped his hands, shoved them into his pockets. "So, what do you say?" He asked. "To going out tonight? Or maybe even a study date? That's basically the only dating I'm going to be doing for a while."

"We have practice."

"After that."

"That's fine." Riley looked over when the bell rang. "I've got Art class first today. So, I'll see you at lunch, yeah?"

"Yeah," Zack replied.

She smiled and stepped in, giving him a kiss on the cheek, making Zack grin, before she turned and walked away. Zack turned on his heel to go to his class and stopped, noticing Drew standing down the hallway, watching him. As their eyes met, Drew stared at him for a long moment then walked away without a word.

Zack did his best not to let Drew worry him too much.

As far as he was concerned, he just heard the best news he could ever hear. So much so that he felt like throwing up.

In a good way.

* * *

 **A/N:** It took me much too long to update this story again. My apologies. Please let me know what you thought.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	7. Zack Talked To Me Today

**.:6:.**

* * *

Cody stretched his arms over his head as he walked through the front doors of the Tipton hotel.

He noticed Mr. Moseby looking at him funny, nearly diving behind his desk the second their eyes met. It wasn't so strange, Mr. Moseby had been jumpy ever since he and Zack had moved in and started to 'turn his life into a living nightmare' as the hotel manager put it.

If he were being honest, Cody didn't think he and Zack were _that_ bad. Not as bad as Mr. Moseby made them out to be. Sure, the first few months they'd been at the Tipton hotel, they played a lot of pranks. But they didn't have any friends and they were bored and a little lonely. Their mother worked long hours during the day doing vocal warm-ups, leaning new songs—especially said songs Mr. Moseby insisted he learned when a certain hotel guest wanted to hear a certain genre. (Don't get him started on when she tried to sing R&B, struggling to hit the really high notes).

He could still remember the way his face puckered—much like when he ate a very sweet dessert—hearing her practice in the bathroom of the suite, which had better acoustics than the ballroom. Nevertheless, there was only so much time she could put to watching her twin boys when she wasn't working and with them constantly running around and bouncing their energy off each other, it was only a matter of time until something came up.

And even then, Cody was the one who grew out of it quicker. He'd always been a little more responsible, feeling that he was the one who should've been born first, he had the bigger sense of responsibility. But Zack was the ringleader and continued to be so as they grew up and Cody peeled away, focusing more on his academics and burgeoning love life rather than seeing how much he could torture the building staff.

Zack never grew out of it and every now and then continued to create some havoc. Not so much as before, due to his focusing on catching up in school and his treatment, but enough so that Mr. Moseby still deemed blame on both of them by association.

Cody smiled and waved to Mr. Moseby before heading up to the suite. Why bother correcting him? Every now and then he missed the fun and excitement of coming up with a new plan to mess with him a little. So much so that he knew he'd miss the hotel manager if he ever spoke the truth on his threats of moving to a different hotel. The Tipton hotel was nothing without Mr. Moseby, Muriel, Esteban, everyone else that had been there when they moved in.

 _Crash!_

 _Bang!_

Cody jumped when he heard a loud thumping sound from his hotel suite. His smile widened. It wasn't so unusual as of late, now that Arwin was by the suite more often than he was in his basement workshop. The hotel handyman was certainly something else and while it took Cody some time to get used to his mother dating him, he was still fun to be around. What _wasn't_ fun was waking up to the suite without water because Arwin broke some of the plumbing while trying to fix it.

 _I wonder what it is this time?_ Cody thought, opening the door and walking inside. He was greeted with the site of what looked like a hose encompassing Arwin's arm, with a washing machine sitting in the middle of the suite. Cody tilted his head to the side, taking in the scene. Arwin stood behind the washing machine, smiling sheepishly, drumming his fingertips on his arm while Carey stood next to him, hands on her hips and shaking her head.

Zack sat on the couch with Riley and Rhuben, all three clutching books and staring up at Arwin, looking like they were doing their best not to burst out laughing lest Carey turned on them as well. Arwin and Carey turned towards Cody as he walked through the door.

"Cody!" Arwin cried, flinging his hands into the air. He ignored the hose that shot off his arm and rocketed across the room, crashing into the window behind him. "Look, Carey, young Cody's home from school." He looked at his watch then walked over to Cody, putting his arm around his shoulder. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick! Zack's back from basketball practice and we have no idea what's been keeping you." He placed his left hand on his hip, his right hand forming into a pointed finger that he wagged into Cody's face. "You have a lot of explaining to do, young man." He planted his hands on his hips, tapping his foot up and down. "One…two…"

"Arwin," Cody and Carey said in unison, holding the same tone of slight irritation.

"Sorry." Arwin turned on his heel and walked across the suit, far from Carey's grasp in case she turned her attention to him.

Carey smiled and shook her head. Then she turned her attention to Cody and asked, "How was your day, sweetie?"

"It was fine," Cody said. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a thin, flat, envelope. Truth be told, it was why he was late coming back from school. He had a late meeting with Mr. Forgess that principal had insisted they have earlier that day. Cody wondered if it was bad, but from the smile on Mr. Forgess's face, Cody discerned it was a good thing. He didn't realize _how_ good, though. "Actually, I was with Mr. Forgess. He, wanted to give me this."

Cody passed the envelope over to Carey, reaching up to grab his backpack straps. He needed to hold onto something to keep himself grounded or else he'd probably pass out from the shock alone. Zack eyed him curiously and Cody smiled back, silently reassuring him that everything was okay. Zack nodded and turned his attention back to his book. Even from where Cody was standing he could tell his brother's eyes weren't paying attention to the words.

Actually, Cody realized, it was like Zack was on another planet. A small smile played on his lips but he, otherwise, didn't look any different. Shifting his weight, Cody leaned to the side a little, then smiled himself, noticing Zack's right hand, hidden beneath the right side of the textbook gently held onto Riley's left, his thumb moving over the skin in a sweeping motion every few seconds. Still, he looked interested when Carey opened the envelope and looked at the paper inside, unable to stifle her gasp of surprise.

"Oh, Cody, you got in?" Carey asked.

Cody beamed. "Yeah, it's official. I got into UMass. Full ride scholarship and everything." Zack, Riley, and Rhuben all made sounds of pleasant surprise when Carey rushed over and enveloped her son in a tight hug. Cody smiled and hugged her back. It was no Yale, of which he was still waiting on a response from, but it was still a good school. It was still another acceptance of the bunch, another big choice he was going to make.

It was what he lived for. Academics, mathematics, and the sciences were his life. Learning new things and continuing to apply it to his life gave him more purpose than he could ever imagine. So even if it was a school he wasn't planning on attending, knowing it was one that wanted him was a boost to his ego. Pushed his self-esteem a little bit higher.

Cody broke out of his thoughts when he heard a higher-pitched crying sound. For a second he wondered if his mother had truly started to sob at the reality her sons were going to be leaving soon. Then he realized another pair of arms were wrapped around him and realized it was Arwin, who was sobbing. He'd always been a good friend of the boys, even more so now that he was dating their mother. He could become emotional at the drop of a hat, this was certainly one of those times. Cody could feel his entire body shaking all the while Arwin held onto him, sobbing his happiness.

"Arwin," Cody mumbled. "I can't breathe." Arwin finally let go of Cody and backed away, pushing his glasses aside so that he could wipe at his eyes. Cody smiled, his eyes moving over to the washing machine that sat in the middle of the floor. "So…what was he?"

"Don't ask," Carey interrupted, lifting a hand. "Seriously, don't ask." She turned back to the paper in her hands and smiled over it. "A full ride to UMass. Cody, this is great."

"That's not all," he said. "With my grades and my clubs, they already want me in the honors science program," he explained. He bobbed his head back and forth. "I mean, yeah, they don't really have honors classes, but they want me to do advanced ones. I have so many credits I could graduate in three years. Two and a half if I studied over the summer."

"That's amazing, sweetie. I'm so proud of you." Carey hugged him once more and turned to Zack. "Isn't that great, Zack?"

"Yeah," Zack quipped. "They already know how much of a nerd he is. He doesn't have to hide it." Carey and Cody both gave him sharp looks and he held up his hands defensively. "I'm just kidding, Cody." He nodded. "It's great, man. I'm proud of you." And he looked away, using his thumbnail to scratch his forehead, Cody saw the flash of insecurity move through his eyes.

Zack had told him about Mr. Forgress misplacing his transcript as well as there being no applications coming in for him. It was late, but it didn't mean it wasn't going to happen. He was just a little bit behind. Honestly, Cody was surprised when Zack had told him while they changed for practice that day.

"So, there's a chance that I might not be able to apply to anything," Zack said suddenly. Cody pulled his tank top over his head and gave Zack a stricken look. He tried to sound upbeat but Cody knew he was more put off by it than he admitted. "There were some schools I'd been looking into but…I could tell Mr. Forgess and Miss. Tutweiller don't really think I can do it."

Cody stared at his brother. He'd never seen him so defeated before. "Come on, Zack, you know there's a lot that you can do," he said.

The corner of Zack's lips turned upwards, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Sure, and I'd probably end up as a janitor at this school," he joked. Then he shook his head. "I'm not telling you so you can fix things, Cody, I'm just saying. Money is an issue, my grades…I don't even know if I can bring them up in enough time to do it." He ran his hand through his hair before bending over to tie his shoes. "Everyone else is getting their acceptances and stuff and I'm sitting here wondering how many more days until Drew actually punches me in the face, finally."

Cody was a little stunned. Zack was never one to be so emotional and as his twin brother spoke in a blasé tone, he knew Zack was really hurting. It just made Cody want to help that much more. "You know I'm always here to help you, Zack. And all of our friends, too."

"And you guys _have_ been helping me."

"There's nothing wrong with taking a year off to work or whatever before going to college. Even going to a community college to—"

"—I'm not going to a community college," Zack interrupted. He lowered his foot from the bench and tied his other shoe. "I already feel dumb as it is—"

"—It's not a dumb thing to go," Cody insisted. He placed his hand on Zack's shoulder. "If you ever want to raise your grades a little bit more, then that's a very smart thing to do. It'd give you better options for scholarships and grants and financial aid…."

"Forget it," Zack interrupted. He held up a hand, cutting Cody off. They were doing a lot of that lately. Cody pushed away his feelings of frustration. He always hated it when Zack didn't listen to him, but with something as important as this…

But Zack was seriously done. He turned on his heel and walked to the court. And he'd played better than Cody had ever seen him. Tapeworm stood by Cody's side, watching him do drills and layups, letting out a low, impressed whistle under his breath. Even Drew stood to the side, watching him. Cody couldn't help but smile. If only Zack truly knew how many different avenues he could take to go to school.

Now, standing in the middle of the suite, Cody still thought that. But convincing him to do something, to _see_ something was always a task in itself. His self-esteem was lower than he'd admit.

"Thanks Zack," Cody said sincerely. "That means a lot." He then turned to Riley and Rhuben, who gave him tight hugs as well. "So, what are you guys up to?" He changed the subject, knowing it would just hurt him more if they kept talking about it.

 _Besides,_ he reminded himself. _You're still waiting for Yale._

"Other than watching Arwin completely destroy this washing machine, you mean?" Rhuben teased. She kept her hand resting on his shoulder, the other on her hip.

Cody's skin burned where she touched him, he could feel it through his shirt. He could feel his cheeks turn red, hoping it wasn't noticeable to anyone else. "Yeah, other than that," he agreed. "What was he doing, anyway?"

"Trying to prove to your mom that he could actually fix things, mate," Riley said. She nodded her head over to Arwin and Carey, who poured over a set of instructions while Arwin shamefully twirled a wrench in his hands. "He said he wanted to help your mom out, instead of having to send things through the laundry."

Zack snored. "Why not? That's what it's for. Why have a laundry service in a hotel if you don't take advantage of it?" He rolled his eyes. "Especially with how much mom complains about our laundry."

"That's because you still insist on getting your underwear dry-cleaned," Cody pointed out. "And that adds up on mom's bill."

Zack wagged his finger back and forth. "Not unless you take it off before she notices it."

Cody snorted. "Wait until we move out and she has all of those bills to back pay." Zack suddenly looked at him funny and Cody made a face back at him. Then Zack widened his eyes and shifted them towards Rhuben then back to Cody. Then Cody nodded, suddenly getting it. Zack didn't need to say the words _Get Lost_ out loud for Cody to get the point. "Right, well, I'm just going to head down to the business office to get some work done."

"Anything in particular?" Rhuben asked.

"Science mostly."

"Bor-ring," Zack murmured.

Rhuben ignored him. "Reckon you could help me with mine?" She asked, grabbing her bag from the side of the couch. "I've got a couple of things that are stumping me." Cody nodded his agreement, suddenly finding himself unable to use his voice then led her out of the suite. She didn't say anything until the door closed behind them. "Get the feeling he wanted you gone, too?"

"It's not a feeling, it's a way of life," Cody replied, finally able to find his voice. "Zack's always been kicking me out of the suite, even when he was dating Max and every girl before her."

Rhuben chuckled as they went to the elevator. "You think you'll miss him when you go off to school?"

"Um…." Cody stalled, pressing the button to call the elevator.

He'd thought of it time and time again as he moved through the school year and college loomed closer. Half the time he couldn't wait to get away. The other half of the time he felt intense fear and anxiety in leaving.

It was different being twin brothers rather than regular brothers. Regular brothers got on each other's nerves, but were used to being apart with their own friends and having their own interests and their own rooms.

Their own lives.

As they grew up, Cody was the one who wanted to hold onto doing most things with his brother. He was never much of a sports person, though he liked to watch it on TV as much as Zack did. Zack was the one that wanted to shed Cody from his side because of his conscious plight of popularity and getting girlfriends. It hurt Cody at first, but there was always going to be a time where twins had to go their separate ways. So when Cody continued through academics, branching away from sports, he was a little surprised to find Zack didn't try to understand his academic side.

But they couldn't do everything together.

Cody was proud Zack was so good at sports, there was something for him to put his aggression and love of athletics into. Sure, Cody teased him about it time and time again; he was the only one that was allowed to tease Zack about it. Anyone else would probably get…a good, stern talking to. Violence was never his strong suit either. With all that in mind, the idea of living somewhere without his brother scared him, more than he cared to admit.

"That was a very unsure answer," Rhuben pointed out as they stepped in to ride to the lobby.

"That's tough talk coming from the girl who hasn't been away from her sister since she was born," Cody pointed out. Then he noticed Rhuben's demeanor change to one that was significantly more guarded.

"Riles and I used to be a lot closer," She disclosed. "But with everything that happened, we prepared ourselves to be split apart and distanced ourselves from each other." She shrugged. "We're working to get back there, yeah?"

Cody thought about it. He hadn't known her long, if he were being completely honest. Only a few years and from what he'd seen they seemed close. On the other hand, there was a lot she didn't tell him about herself, changing the subject so skillfully that he hadn't noticed until much later. Then there was the bombshell that she was anorexic, too and understood how Zack was feeling and what he was going through.

It shocked him on two fronts; that he hadn't known it was something she struggled with, her own skill of hiding it proving to him how easily Zack could do the same, and that it was something he was shockingly naïve about. (If he were being completely honest, part of him was surprised because…her being anorexic didn't completely fit his image of her).

The elevator doors slid open and Cody stepped out into the hotel lobby, shifting his backpack up his back. "It seems like things are working out," Cody said instead.

Rhuben smiled and nodded, the smile reaching her eyes so that it sparkled. He'd said the right thing, he'd noticed over the years that she seemed to reserve that smile for him. Or else it was wishful thinking as he hadn't _quite_ stopped thinking about her since they'd broken up. Even when he was dating her cousin he wondered if it was better to get back together.

 _She was the one who broke up with you, remember,_ Cody reminded himself. _Because you pushed her away, trying to learn everything about the abuse she went through and driving her crazy with it._ She'd said he was obsessed with treating her like a statistic. And, honestly, she was right. By then he became so focused on learning about it that he'd spouted facts and figures out at her, trying to help her heal and it just made the wound that much bigger. But she kept too many things from him, too many secrets and after a while, he wasn't sure whenever she was being honest or if she was just feeding him a line to keep him away. What she went through for years, it was terrible he had seen some of it first hand, it scared him. It had to be scarier for her as she was living through it, though she always had a smile for him whenever she saw him and that made him feel good. Still, it hung over her like a dark cloud and it affected their relationship more than he thought it would and he felt that it wasn't fair for either of them until she came to terms with it.

Maybe they were both still hurting.

They reached the business office and Cody sat down in the closest empty seat, sliding his backpack down his arm and onto the ground. "So, UMass huh?" She asked, sitting next to him. She dropped her backpack and looked him in the eye. "Doesn't sound like Yale."

"UMass was my safety option," Cody admitted. "In case I don't get in."

"You'll get in, mate, they'd be crazy not to have you."

"There's so many things that can happen, I try not to think about it." He stretched out his legs under the table, accidentally bumping hers. Quickly, Cody brought his feet back and started to gather his homework together, arranging them by subject. "I've got into most of them so far, but I'm still waiting to hear back from a few. Yale's always comes out last."

Rhuben's eyebrows rose in amusement. She reached up, brushing her purple strand of hair from her eyes. "You know that for sure?"

Cody's cheeks flushed. "I may have called and asked the admissions office a few times."

"Figures." She rested her chin in her hand. "Getting a little anxious?"

He'd always liked it when she teased him, but now he was getting a little _too_ hot under the collar. _You're just friends,_ he reminded himself. _Nothing more than that_. "Maybe a little. But what about you? You've been getting some acceptances."

That made Rhuben's smile fade. "Yeah, a few," she said. "I might do some stuff online. I might go to an actual college. I might…" she let out a low breath.

Cody gently pressed. "Would you go to a college out here?" He curled his fingers around his pen, waiting for the answer. His hands shook. Why was he shaking? Dropping his pen, he busied himself, wiping his palms off on the legs of his jeans."

"Out here. Back home. I haven't decided." Rhuben shrugged. She smiled a little, looking down at her hands. "It's funny, Boston has become 'home' to me just as much as Australia has, though I tried my hardest not to let that happen."

"Oh yeah, I remember." Cody leaned back and folded his arms, smirking at her. "When I first met you, you made sure that you didn't like Boston, you didn't want to be here, and you didn't want to be my friend." The next part suddenly came out, he couldn't stop himself. "Kinda weird to know that, later, we'd start dating."

"Kinda," Rhuben agreed. She turned her head and gave him a cheeky smile. "Then you dumped me for my cousin."

Cody sucked in a breath through his teeth. That was his fault. No way to avoid it.

It was great they could joke about it now, even he and Crystal could joke about it. She was great. But back then he was afraid he'd hurt Rhuben with the way their relationship went.

"Good to know that you're not bitter about it," Cody said. He turned and looked at her, letting out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. This was a long time coming. "I didn't mean to-"

"I know what you meant," Rhuben interrupted. "And I don't know if I said it to you then, but thanks." Her eyebrows lowered into a serious expression. "At the time, I didn't get you were just trying to help me, but I get it now." She motioned to his school supplies. "Just like you helped me with science all the time."

Cody laughed. "Actually, I think that you helped _me_ more than I helped you. Who was the one that figured out the part of the formula I was missing for my laser at the science fair?"

Rhuben smirked at him. "Who was the one who blew up Barbara's volcano and lost the first place prize?"

Cody rolled his eyes. "Do you _always_ have to bring that up?"

"Yes, nong!" Rhuben pushed her purple strand of hair out of her face. "Just like I have to bring up me and Riles dressing you up like a girl to get together with that one shiela-"

"Rebecca," Cody broke in.

"Right." Rhuben cracked her knuckles. "And when we helped you lot play hooky so you could meet Matisse. And when you dyed your hair bright red. And when-"

"And when you kissed me for the first time when I went away to math camp," Cody teased. He smiled when a light blush moved over Rhuben's cheeks as she fell silent. It was a comfortable silence; nothing hanging over their heads, no awkward undertones. It was good to see things on the other foot, she'd teased him enough over the years. "You must have missed me like crazy."

"No, I just got annoyed of only having Zack around," Rhuben swiftly corrected him. "I'd rather listen to nails on a chalkboard or my cat screeching than be around him that long when he's bored." The two laughed. "You know he really missed you, yeah?"

Cody nodded back. He watched her face relax into a serene expression that Cody realized he'd missed.

Having known her since they were both thirteen or fourteen, he could honestly say that she grew up to be very beautiful. When he first met her, she instantly got his attention with her black hair, blue eyes, and mysteriousness. She'd eyed him curiously while Zack and Riley talked and Riley turned Zack down for whatever flirting he'd done. He'd smiled softly at her, to ease the tension of their moving, but she continued to study him with an air of disdain. He didn't know until later that she was trying to determine what kind of person he was.

There were times where Rhuben looked glad to have Cody around and others where it was obvious she didn't want him within two feet of her. He knew now it was nothing personal, but back then it made him wonder what was going on, causing him to think about her more than he thought he would. She'd opened up to him quickly, but there was a part of her that was very guarded and still pushed him away.

She was a mystery to him and it was a mystery that he tried hard to solve.

Cody wiped his hands off on the sides of his jeans; they were suddenly filled with sweat. He looked away when Rhuben turned a questioning glance at him, feeling his face starting to turn red. _Why did Mom have to give me her fair skin?_ He raised his hand and scratched the back of his neck, trying to hide his face. "So, yea, if you want help on anything, I'd be glad to help you out. It'll be like old times, when we did papers and stuff together."

"Only difference being that Zack won't be goofing off, Riles wont' be yelling at him for goofing off, and we don't have to constantly roll our eyes at Zack's pathetic attempt of flirting with her," Rhuben pointed out, causing the two to laugh again. How things changed, now they were kinda-sorta going out and Cody and Rhuben were…

He wasn't quite sure, honestly.

Cody had to look away from her when she looked him in the eye. He always had to look away first under her intense gaze. He hated how she was always able to do that, to be able to look right through him and know what was bothering him even before he had to say anything. Just as much as he loved it.

"So," he asked instead. "What do you want to do first?"

* * *

 **Cody's Log**

 _Zack talked to me a little today. About what happened with Mr. Forgess and Miss. Tutweiller and how things went with that meeting. I think things are getting better between us. I haven't had him admit that he was throwing up before but…that's really hard for him to do, I guess. He always says I'm the more emotional one, the more sensitive but I really think it's him._

 _There's not much more to report on. The acceptance to UMass is great, especially the money, but like I said, I don't want to go there. It's my safety school. I was to go to Yale and I'm going to go to Yale. But the way Rhuben looked at me when we were talking about it today…I'd love to see that more and more. When Yale's acceptance comes I know she'll really be impressed. And maybe then I can figure out how we can talk to each other about the really important stuff again._

 _Like…how I feel._

 _Or maybe at another time. Zack's always saying that I'm too cautious about these things but I can't help it. I need to know all of the facts, I don't want to embarrass myself._

 _I'm meeting up with Sadie tomorrow and then this weekend all of us are hanging out at Crystal's house to go swimming. Thank God for heated, screened in pools and Mr. Moseby not yelling at us to quiet down. Fingers crossed everything works out._

 **-CM**

* * *

 **A/N:** So for those that recognized part of the chapter, it was from my previous one-shot _Catching Up._ I had realized a long while ago that the one-shot worked better in this series rather than anywhere else. And being able to re-work it for this story now that I've improved in my writing has made it that much better, I think. And, now you see how truly frustrated Cody is getting with Zack not talking to him.

It can't be easy to have your twin brother not want to talk to you, although with the way Zack and Cody related to each other at this stage in their life (reminiscent to that on SLOD) that they may have subconsciously been doing it to themselves.

Please let me know what you thought.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	8. What About A Beauty Pageant?

**.:7:.**

* * *

"Thank you so much for helping me study, Cody," Sadie said, closing her history textbook. She smiled a little, resting her hands atop the book, tapping her fingers. "I swear, I'd fail if it wasn't for you."

"Well, you won't know until you take your test," Cody politely reminded her.

Sadie shook her head, still smiling and said, "No, I know. History's not my best subject. I'm terrible at it. The only way I've been able to pass is because of someone else helping me study." She rolled her eyes. "Drew hasn't been any help lately, not that _that's_ any surprise. And you know, Zack used to help me study…"

As she trailed off, Cody had to try hard not to let his sarcastic thought, _You sure you studied?_ escape his lips. That would've been rude and the last thing he needed was to be rude. She'd asked him, honestly, for some help and he gave it to her. He didn't need to be snarky about it. Still, Zack was his brother and despite being the younger brother, he was protective of him. Sadie's already done enough damage to him and his reputation, she didn't need to be around more.

But…she'd asked him repeatedly for help to study and he didn't like to turn anyone down and even more tutoring would look good on his applications, especially for the internship he was going for. Besides, he believed in the adage of keep your friends close and your enemies closer, the more he could keep an eye on her, the less likely she was to mess with Zack again.

Sadie must've noticed Cody's uncomfortable silence for she cleared her throat and sat up straight. "So, I'll let you know what grade I get. But I think it'll be fine. Better than how our planning for this dance is going, anyway," she said.

The mention of it made Cody roll his eyes. Zack's idea for another homecoming had been popular, but logistically, he knew it wasn't going to work. Not enough money, not enough people who would come back, it was too cold to get dressed up. However, he did agree that the idea of putting an event somewhere around a day where all the sports teams had a home game was the best way to get people there. There'd be enough students and parents around.

"Even with all the stuff that Zack thinks we should do, I don't think it would work," Cody said slowly. He stretched out his legs beneath the table and crossed them at the ankle. He looked around the library though, knew no one else was there. The librarian had let them stay late after his basketball practice, she always had a soft spot for him. "We could always put a cover charge on the stretch of home games we've got coming up; boys' and girls' junior varsity and varsity basketball and the swim teams…there'd be enough people there. I'm just not sure how many people would go for it."

"How much would it bring in?" Sadie asked.

"Five dollars a person could do bring in a good chunk of money we need for our senior trip," Cody relented after a long moment of silence. "But that's for lodging. We'd still need transportation and that'd be a lot."

"Okay, so…" Sadie rested her chin in her hands. "What if…" she tilted her head and scrunched up her face. She rhythmically drummed her fingers on her cheeks. Cody watched her movements, suddenly noticed the gentle curves of her cheeks and eyelashes. She was attractive, he knew why Zack had gone out with her, yet there was something familiar about her he couldn't quite put his finger. "What if we…"

Then her eyes lit up and she slapped her hands to the table, making him jump. "What if we did a beauty pageant?"

Cody's eyebrows shifted together, causing a crease in his forehead. "A beauty pageant?" He repeated.

"Yeah! It'd be brilliant!" Sadie reached out and grabbed onto Cody's hands. "Think of it! We've already had you boys dress up and be bid on, why not have the girls do a beauty pageant? We'd do hair, makeup, gowns, swimsuit, and personal interviews like all the real ones! And then we'd have tiaras and crowns and sashes and stuff for prizes."

Cody felt his upper lip start to curl as it always did whenever beauty pageants were mentioned around him. He could still remember how itchy the wig and pantyhose were. Not to mention, he did find it a little bit demeaning to women. Zack, their dad, and many other men drooled over the beauty pageants that were broadcasted on TV.

"I don't think the teachers would like to have a swimsuit competition at school, Sadie," Cody said slowly. "Or the parents, for that matter. The last thing we need is for the parents to descend on the school. And having it be focused so much on beauty, I'm not so sure about."

"That's what the talent and interview section is for," Sadie continued. She squeezed Cody's hands and gushed, "There's more to girls than the way they look and that proves it. The winner would be crowned Miss. Cheevers. And Mr. Forgess and Miss. Tutweiller can be the hosts and other teachers, or maybe even students can be the judges. What about the president of every class?"

Cody listened as Sade continued to speak rapidly. "I mean, if we were ever going to do this we'd need to get Mr. Forgess' permission." He looked down, noticing Sadie's hands clasped against hers and pulled his back. He almost had to force her to let go. Her nails scratched over the skin on the back of his hand, causing raised welts. "And I sincerely don't think he'd say yes."

"You won't know until you try," Sadie insisted. She clasped her hands together. "Please, can I talk to Mr. Forgess about it? Please? Please? Please?" She fluttered her eyelashes.

Cody held up his hands, leaning back. "Okay, you can ask, but don't hold your breath about it."

Sadie squealed, leaping to her feet. "Oh, thank you, Cody!" She leaned over and gave him a tight hug. "I promise I'll let you know as soon as he says something. Bye! And thanks again!" She swept up her books and flounced from the library.

Gathering his things, Cody shoved them into his backpack then pulled out a moist towelette from the front pocket. He wiped it down over his neck and arms, then in his armpits before running it over his hands. _The price you pay to be nice,_ he thought. _Never come between a man and his personal hygiene habits._ He'd missed out on taking a shower after basketball practice and he was certainly not going to skip out on one before going to Crystal's house to go swimming with his friends.

Plus, he needed to disinfect the wounds Sadie no less gave him. Funny how much it looked like she was making a mark on him.

* * *

Max backed away from her locker, tucking her basketball under her arm. She had all her things together, after doing a quick check. All she had to do was get back home, take a shower, then head over to Crystal's house to go swimming. That's what she kept telling herself all day. She had to get through classes, practice, and then she could hang out with her friends.

Anything to take her mind off…no point in dwelling on it now. What's done was done, and it really was a good thin, right? _Yeah, right, Max, how many times does someone get rejected from college and think it's a good thing?_ With a sigh, she closed her locker door and took a step back to drop her basketball into her backpack.

"What are you still doing here?" Max looked over to see Drew walking her way, his own basketball tucked under his arm. He looked her up and down as he approached. "Aren't you and your band of losers usually gone by now?"

"That's where I'm going," Max said. She cradled her ball against her stomach and regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you still doing here? Planning a senior prank?"

"Maybe," Drew replied. He lifted his chin, so far that Max could see up his nose. "I've had things planned for a while now and you know I've got the money for it."

Max felt her temper flare as soon as the word 'money' was mentioned. Of course, money was the crux of everything. She should've understood that from the very beginning. "And, of course, you always have to brag about it, don't you? You know no one cares how much money you have, right?"

The corners of Drew's lips pulled back, eyes lighting up with mirth. "What's the matter, Max? You look like you just lost your best friend."

"What do _you_ know about best friends? All of yours only care about your money. Some friendship."

"Well, money makes the world go 'round and all that." Drew spun his finger in the air and rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you guys don't understand that yet." He took a step closer to her. "Or did Ringworm break up with you?"

"His name's Tapeworm," Max reminded him.

"Whatever. I'm just saying when you get bored with him you could always go out with me," Drew drawled. He leaned against the lockers next to her and reached out, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I've certainly got more to offer than Ringworm does and I can get you whatever it is you want."

Max shoved Drew's hand away from her ear then thumped him hard on the chest. "Get away from me, you creep!" She jabbed him in the chest with her fingertip, causing him to back away, holding his hands up defensively. "You have nothing I want."

Drew smirked and violently grabbed his crotch before thrusting it towards her. Max recoiled and threw her basketball at him. He held up his to knock it out of the way then reached out, grabbing her wrists. "Oh come on, you know you want me." Max hunkered down and struggled to pull backwards from his grasp. Drew's face suddenly screwed up into a grotesque mask and the tightened his grasp around her wrists, making her cry out in pain. "You stupid bitch! You've already gone through half your little friends, what makes me any different?"

Max shot up her foot and kicked Drew between the legs, making him drop to his knees as he groaned in pain. "Having class, Drew." She stood over him and grabbed him by the front of his t-shirt. "If you ever touch me again, I swear I'll knock your teeth out," she growled.

Drew merely laughed and, shakily, got back to his feet. He grabbed his ball and bag and walked away. Max sighed, turning to press her back against her locker. She closed her eyes, tilting her head back, bringing up her basketball to press against her forehead. She had no idea what he'd done to get Drew's attention on her but it certainly was the last thing she wanted. Things were much easier when all he thought her of was a nerd and a nerdy _boy_ at that. Ever since last year when she broke up with Zack he'd done nothing but bother her.

As if she'd want to go out with him. What a joke! And yet he kept continuing to come after her…

"Are you okay, Max?"

Max opened her eyes at the sound of Cody's voice and smiled, lowering her basketball from her face. "Just, thinking," she said. "Of some of the new plays we're working on for our team. We've got a good lock to get to the state finals and I'm sure we can win. It's just…" she laughed nervously. "A lot of pressure you know? Being captain and everything."

"Co-captain," Cody reminded her. "Semantics matter."

"Yeah, and Crys would kill me if I didn't give her her props," Max added. "She's amazing and has helped me more than I could ever imagine." _Especially after the last few weeks,_ Max thought. She froze, seeing Cody bend down to pick up something from the floor, instantly recognizing it. Her heart sank as he looked over the logo and the top sentence on the page. He glanced at her and quietly handed the paper to her.

"I didn't mean to read it." His voice was laden with sincere apology. "I just…I wasn't sure what it was. I'm sorry, I…"

"You don't need to apologize," Max said. She blew out a long breath of air, her bangs flying off her forehead. "It's not your fault I didn't get into UMass." The moment she said it out loud, a crushing weight moved through her body, forcing her shoulders down and a lump in her throat to form. "It's not anyone's fault other than mine. I guess I was just…too stupid to go." Tears came to her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to keep them at bay.

"No, Max, you're not stupid." Cody quickly moved to Max's side, looping his arm around her shoulders. "You're one of the smartest people I know. If UMass didn't take you, then they're crazy. You have the grades and the extracurriculars—"

"—Yeah, and that doesn't mean much." Max wiped at her eyes and sniffed. "Even if I got in, it's not like I could afford it anyway. We don't have the money, I'd need a _lot_ of financial aid and after that…" She trailed off, noticing Cody move to her front and look her in the eye.

"You've thought of this before," Cody surmised. "About being able to go. You _really_ wanted to go."

"I've had enough time to think about it," Max said. "I…uh…I got the letter weeks ago. I still haven't told my mom and dad." She sniffled and folded her arms. "I took it from the house before they could see it. But they won't stop asking me and I don't know what else to say. I haven't applied to many other places and I don't know what to tell them. Or what to tell Tape or our friends…"

"You don't have to tell them anything until you're ready," Cody reassured her. He grasped her shoulders, gently rubbing them up and down. "But you really do have to think about how where you're going to go from here."

Max let out a humorless chuckle. "I'm not going anywhere, remember?" The tears came back to her eyes once more and as hard as she tried to keep from bursting into tears, they slipped down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook and she pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes. It wasn't just the whole college thing it was that and Drew and…how badly he scared her and how she could still feel his hands on her. And how badly he continued to make her feel about what had happened with her and Zack and…

Everything.

Just everything.

Cody winced, realizing his mistake. He rubbed Max's shoulders. "Max, I'm sorry."

She tried to say, 'it's okay' in response but continued to cry. Every time she opened her mouth she found herself unable to form any words. The sounds of her quivering sobs came out until she dropped her head and started to cry. Cody quickly wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Max moved her head under his chin and snuggled into his embrace. She wanted to tell him everything that was going on but couldn't allow herself to do so.

It hurt too much.

It took a half hour for her sobbing to subside down to small whimpers. Then it stopped all together. Cody reached up and wiped her tears away before giving her a hug once more. "If there's anything you need to me to do, even if it means writing a strongly worded letter against the guys that didn't let you in, let me know."

Max laughed quietly. "I don't know, maybe you can help me get a basketball scholarship or something."

"As long as I can help," Cody agreed. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "As long as I'm able to help someone."

Max dabbed at her eyes. "Zack still?" Cody nodded. "Ah, Cody, you know he can get really stubborn about this sort of thing. It's not you that's the problem." She ran a hand through her hair, gently pulling her ponytail. "Even I had trouble getting him to open up."

"It's not that, it's…he told me that Mr. Forgess and Miss. Tutweiller don't really think he can get into college and it's really taking a toll on him. I mean, people have told him that before but he's—"

"—Always brushed it off?" Max chuckled at the irony. "Who would've thought me and Zack would've ended up in the same position."

Cody tilted his head as he looked at her, eyes filling with concern. "Max, you're going to go somewhere. I promise." He reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. "I know you and I haven't been close over the years but I see a lot of good things coming your way." He dropped her hand and thought for a moment. "You know what we need right now?"

"A touchup of makeup?" Max asked, dabbing at a spot of mascara that trailed down her cheek.

"No, to go swimming," Cody said. He smiled warmly. "It's the weekend. We need to some time to sit back and relax, right? Not worry about so much stuff all the time."

Eyes widening in surprise, Max took a step back and looked Cody up and down. His face was the same. The way he carried himself was the same. But with his dyed black hair—which she was surprised he kept up with—and his less academic clothing style he certainly looked different. But with this new attitude added on top?

"Who are you and what you done with Cody?" She asked him.

Cody smiled. "I'm trying to change a little bit, remember? Who says Cody Martin can't turn off his academic brain over the weekends?"

"You," Max pointed out. "You haven't taken a break since the day you were born. When you first moved here you had all of your homework assignments up until college worked out." She placed her hands on her hips. " _And_ already had your bid for being school president and how did that turn out again?" She tapped her finger against her chin.

Cody smirked back at her. "You taunted me, I won and I'm still president in high school, too."

"Oh yeah." Max smiled sheepishly then smoothed her hands over her hair. "Cody, honestly, thank you for what you said. I'm still bummed but, I'll figure out something to do. Right now, let's just have fun. But, please don't tell Tape."

A grimace erased Cody's smirk. "Max, he's my best friend, I can't lie to him."

"I'm going to tell him, Cody, just not right now. He's already gotten into MIT early decision, I don't…I don't want him to pity me or anything."

"Well, if I know Tape as well as I think I do he won't. But if you don't want me to say anything, I'll keep quiet." He tilted his head back down the hallway and held out his arm. "Let's go swimming." Max smiled and looped her arm through his. Scooping her backpack off the ground the two walked out of the school and towards the bus stop. When the bus arrived, they climbed on.

Max looked over as Sadie climbed on and moved to the very back, pulling out a notebook and started to scribble in it. She looked up and smiled towards Max—which looked very much like a smirk—and went back to her writing.

Lifting an eyebrow, Max turned to Cody and said, "I didn't know Sadie lived near here."

Cody looked over his shoulder towards her then frowned. "She doesn't, she lives across the city and normally takes her own car. Well, if Drew doesn't drive her."

Max shuddered.

"Is everything okay?"

She forced a smile. "Everything's fine."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry it took me some time to get back to this story, I was focusing on getting some more chapters of _Final Fate_ done, since it's almost done. I am still working on some more Zack-centered stories, they should be up soon. Hope you all enjoyed this one!

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	9. Cody's Log II

**.:8:.**

 _Cody's Log II_

* * *

 **Cody's Log**

* * *

 _Today's a special day for me to write in here._

 _Not special like that of a birthday, but very similar. A day to celebrate is absolute, but not for the familiar reasons others resonate with. I wasn't even sure if it was something I should've brought up when the thought crossed my mind. We were having a good time, a great time, actually, swimming in the Manning's pool._

 _I love to swim. _

_Most people don't know how I learned to love it. Not only is it a great cardiovascular sport that continues to aid the body in multiple ways, but I've always loved to do it. Zack and I learned to swim in the lake in Appletown, Texas, where our Aunt Martha lives. Mom and Aunt Martha don't get along very much now, but at one point she brought us down to visit her in her tiny town. Aunt Martha saw we didn't know how to swim—in hindsight this had to have embarrassed mom, she couldn't afford swimming lessons or us let alone afford a pool. Aunt Martha offered to teach us how to swim. At first, mom liked the idea, but then grew nervous when Aunt Martha took us to the lake rather than a contained pool._

 _How was one to swim in a lake and the riverbeds and creeks that branched off it when they couldn't see the bottom? Especially toddlers? But Aunt Martha—literally—picked us up and threw us into the water before climbing into to join us. Zack sank, mom freaked out, but I loved it. I had a wider area to explore, new things to study, something new to learn. I know now the way Aunt Martha taught us how to swim—initially, she and mom did end up showing us how to correctly kick and to pull their arms through the water correctly—throwing us in the deep end, was not the best idea._

 _If I knew it'd be the metaphor of the rest of my life, I may've paid a little more attention. Since then, I've had nothing but parts of my life continue to throw me in the deep end. Mom moved us around a lot, we had little to know money, couldn't stay in our car all the time—the police told her that every now and then, I was never asleep during those nights. I stayed awake in the car, clutching my blankie to me and watching everyone that passed by the car. I was scared. It was one of the worst things they've been through I—we made it through it._

 _I didn't think of that at all while we were at Crystal's house, swimming. And it was the best time we'd had in a long while. The pool was inside what looked like it used to be a greenhouse, attached to the back of the house, and large enough that I felt a little envious felt envious of it. Mostly as they didn't need to share it with anyone else. He loved the Tipton hotel, but the lack of privacy was a problem. Just as it was living with my dad times; where we had to share the gym, social areas, and the pool. It was something others wouldn't think about, but having had lived in cramped quarters, with his grandparents, and in a hotel suite where I shared one bathroom with my brother and mother, privacy was a luxury for us._

 _Being able to just hangout by ourselves and not worry about college applications and rejections, what we were doing later in our lives, what we were going to be doing for the rest of our school year…we just had fun. I had a moment to relax. Okay, Zack makes fun of me for being very tightly wound but come on, I have a lot of goals I'm trying to achieve. Today, I made sure to sit around and have fun with my friends. I even got a chance to talk to Crys's dad a little bit more and he gave me some connections in the science world that I could use once I graduated._

 _Okay, it's not that I don't love my mom or dad. I love my parents very much. But, academically, with my interests, we don't always click. My mom is always very proud of what I manage to achieve and likes to listen to me talk through my projects and ideas. But she doesn't understand. My dad…no one knows this, my dad barely finished high school. He never went to college. So he doesn't understand much of what I'm talking about at all. Having Christian around and being able to talk to someone on my equal level of what I wanted to do, made me feel great._

 _Another deep end that I learned how to swim in. Not many I knew were interested in the sciences and I worked my way through it._

 _Which brings me to what happened when we got back to the Tipton later. I was flipping through the past entries in my journal. It's my third or fourth log but I realized how much I like writing in this. It really keeps your mind straight, makes you able to reflect on things you may not have noticed before. But something hit me straight in the face that I couldn't ignore._

 _I was sitting on my bed, writing in my journal—being politically corrected, typing on my laptop—when I looked over at Zack and noticed he was writing in his journal as well. He's done it a lot longer than I have, and I can tell it works. He's really calmed down a lot. He's matured. Yes, he still bugs me at times, yes he can still be an obnoxious jerk, yes he still has his get-rich-quick schemes and has times of wanting to have tings be easier for him. But he's calmed down. It's hard to explain but I know my brother and I know when things are different with him, just as he does with me._

 _He used to hate having to take time to write down dairies and journals. He even hated to do it for homework over the summer and they only had to be a paragraph. But watching him write in his journal, with a little smile on his face, I can see how much he likes it. And it struck me then, how much time had passed._

 _It's been a year._

 _A year since Zack started his journey in his eating disorder._

 _This time last year, he was starting to make himself throw up to lose weight to…to what? I'm still not really sure. To be a better basketball player? To be better than me? To be…what? I don't really know. And he's never told me. He might've told his therapist, but he's never said anything to me. I don't even know if I want to know. If it does have to do with me, I couldn't handle it. I can't handle the thought of hurting my brother like that. Ever. We joke around with each other all the time but there are times where we go too far. I tell him about the times I feel he's gone too far but he's never told me._

 _He's stronger than me in that instance, but maybe I'm actually stronger than him?_

 _But my point is, it's been a year. He's made it a year since everything for him started to fall apart. He was thrown, proverbially, into the deep end and he managed to swim his way out of it._

 _Okay, I doubt he thinks very much about when we learned how to swim like I have, but it'd poignant._

 _Zack made it a year, he's still here and I'm glad._

 _Much more than he knows._

 _Because, honestly, I don't know how I can go through life without him. He's my best friend. And I hope he feels the same way. It's why, even if he doesn't want me around, I'll still be there for him and I can only hope he does the same for me._

* * *

 **A/N:** And here's another update! I couldn't wait to get back to this story and here I am.

So, for those that were wondering if I'd do another Zack story I do have one I'm updating soon. It's a ZackxRiley focused one, but it's mostly in Zack's POV as he tries to deal with what he thinks is jealousy of a guy from Riley's past where his suspicions actually are correct. So! I'm excited for it.

Please let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll update again soon.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	10. I'll Do Anything

**.:9:.**

 _To get a letter of recommendation, I'll do anything_

* * *

"And this will be something that we have to watch for another week or so," Christian Manning said, flipping through papers in his hand. Then he sat up straight and looked Cody in the eye, shifting the papers aside. "Are you sure this is what you want, Cody?"

"To get a letter of recommendation, I'll do anything," Cody admitted. He tapped his hands on the edge of the office chair he sat in across from Christian's desk. "I've worked my whole life for this. And if there's anything I can do to get into Yale, I'll do it."

"I understand that, Cody, but you've already sent out your application. I don't know if sending any more unsolicited letters is going to help much."

Cody lifted a finger. "My application status hasn't been checked yet," he pointed out. "There's still time for me to pad up my application as much as I can. Wouldn't you do the same? If you were trying to pad up a resume for you to get a new job or even to apply to a college yourself?"

The corner of Christian's mouth turned up as he leaned back in his seat. "That'd make sense if I were in the mood to look for a new job. I like where I am at the university." He winced as there was a crashing sound and rapid footsteps. "Though sometimes I could do with a bigger house."

Cody smiled back. He understood what it was like to want to have space of his own—he couldn't think to count how many times he and Zack asked their mom to move to a bigger suite so they could have their own rooms—but there were many times he went to the Manning's house to hang out simply _because_ they didn't have their own space. There was hardly any teens their age at the Tipton anymore, Mr. Moseby always said something about them chasing away too many families but how true was that? And he and Zack were starting to have their own lives enough that Cody was starting to become better with the thought of not going to college with his brother.

 _Yeah, like Zack could ever get into Yale,_ Cody thought. Still, when first filling out college applications, there was a point of him that was a little hesitant to do so, knowing Zack would never get there. UMass was a last minute decision, just in case Zack got there, it'd be a safety school. _For him or for you?_ The thought crossed Cody's mind before he shook it away.

"I'm not saying I won't write you the letter, Cody," Christian said. "You've actually been very helpful with my ow studies and research. I just hope you know that, sometimes, wanting something really bad can be very alienating."

"Or a sign of determination."

"That, too." Christian looked at his watch then back to Cody. "I can have the letter done for you in a few days. The end of the week at the latest, once this final experiment is done. But I promise I'll let you know if I have it done sooner."

"Thank you." Cody stood up and stretched out his hand towards Christian, who grabbed it and pumped it firmly.

"Thank _you_ ," Christian replied "Without your ideas on analytical chemistry, I may have been stuck on my own research. I'll see you soon."

"Thanks. Bye." Cody walked out of Christian's office and took a step back as Sydney and Aaron ran by, holding onto makeshift rubber band guns high over their heads, racing towards the stairs. Their footsteps thundered before they made it down, seconds before screaming loudly and running back in the opposite direction with Patrick and Noah running after them.

Cody smiled and carefully made his way down the stairs after them, in case he got caught in the crossfire. How many times had Zack managed to shoot him with rubber bands when he wasn't paying attention? And not just rubber bands, hornets; when a thick wad of paper was flung at him, too. Those stinging welts were left on his arms and legs for days. Enough so that their grandparents started to think Cody was consistently getting hives. (Which he was, he was allergic to their flowers and the dust mites didn't help). Still, that was always some fun.

A wistful smile came to Cody's face as he moved to the kitchen to get his shoes before leaving through the garage. He found Crystal standing at the island with bags of food around her, frowning as she moved different sized boxes and cans back and forth.

Cody watched her for a moment before tilting his head to ask, "Crys, what are you doing?"

"I'm rationing," Crystal muttered in reply.

He made a face, stifled a laugh at the intense irritation written all over her face. "Why?"

"So I don't have to go to the store again." Crystal threw her hands in the air. "I mean, dad's paying for it, but do you know how awful it is living with five boys? They eat like their lives depend on it."

"Well, technically, because of their genetic makeup as well as the need for protein, carbohydrates, and—" Cody started to rattle off then stopped, noticing Crystal glaring at him, her hands pressing into the side of the counter. "I mean, as long as they don't eat like Zack, I think you're fine." Then he cringed as soon as the words slipped form his mouth. How many times did he have to bring that up? Zack didn't want to talk about it, why would anyone else? Then he looked at her closer. "You're not just mad about the whole food thing are you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, I like to think I know you very well. Not to mention your non-verbal communication skills are telling me that you're frustrated by something. Your voice is tight, your knuckles are turning white as you grab onto whatever item you need, and it looks like you're seconds away from mauling anyone that comes near you."

A sly smile came to Crystal's face. "Well, that might not be too off-base."

"What happened?"

Crystal let out a long sigh, tilting her head back, pressing her hands into the side of the counter. "I went to the athletic office today to sign up for a spring sport." Cody shrugged, not seeing the problem. Unless she had to give a note as to why she couldn't play a sport, which was very unlikely, there wasn't any problems with doing so. As it was, you only just showed up at the first practice for each team. "I signed up for the boys lacrosse team."

"Oh." Cody's eyebrows rose. Then he titled his head to the side. "Well, the other players would be much bigger and stronger than you, so I can see how the coach may be a bit—"

"—Not the coach, Moose," Crystal interrupted. "He was coming out of the office when I was going in and when I explained what I was there for, he started to tell me how it wasn't 'ladylike' and how it's a 'man's sport'."

Ah, now Cody understood.

As much as he thought Moose was a nice guy, he did have a habit of putting his foot in his mouth…and being a little domineering, and being annoyingly good at every sport he tried. Cody sucked in a deep breath, now trying not to let his own irritations get in the way. Or maybe it was jealously. He'd only just started to have a better reputation in school, other than looking and dressing like a 'science nerd' and then along came Moose with southern charm and a smile to match that got everyone's attention.

Bailey had dated him before so was immune to his charms—he still wasn't quite sure how—but Max, Crystal, Riley, Rhuben, and nearly every other girl in the school had fallen for it fast. But there was one fatal flaw to Moose Falcone, having grown up on a farm he had been taught about what was 'men's work' and 'women's work' and what their 'roles' in life were. Cody had seen his mother work long and hard to make sure Zack and Cody had a good life while his father seemed to squander it away. He'd seen his friends' parents take different roles in their lives to raise them as well.

"Well, I can understand his concern," Cody said slowly.

"Coming from the guy who decided to join a beauty pageant?" Crystal shot back.

"It was for a _bike!_ You never get between a man and his bike!"

"Sure thing, Cody."

He didn't like how she was smiling sweetly at her like that. He never did, knowing she was still silently teasing him. But he couldn't disregard the face that he _did_ have _some_ feminine interests. Was it his fault he liked to sew and bake? He liked to skateboard and play basketball just as much, ignoring the scrapes and infections that were to occur. "I'm just saying that I can understand how he'd be concerned. I mean, we just said that the guys you'll be going against are a lot bigger and stronger than you are."

"So? The guys on the team will be the same size, and we'll be working together."

"I know, Crys. I just mean—well, what if you get knocked around? They'll probably target you."

"I'll run fast."

"Why do you want to play anyway?"

Crystal blew out a puff of air, making her bangs fly off her forehead. "Because there's not enough interest for a girls' team," she explained. "I asked, not a lot of girls signed up, not enough money. So I decided to try out for the boys team. I just want to play, Cody, it's no big thing."

"Then why are you making it a big thing?" Cody couldn't help the teasing smile that came to his face, now catching Crystal with it. She rolled her eyes and Cody laughed to himself. "I'm just kidding, Crys, I think you'd do a great job. Better than half the guys even." He thought for a moment. "I don't know if Zack's going to play—"

"—He's not playing?" Crystal's eyebrows came together.

"Well, as seniors we only need to play one sport. He's already missed soccer and I don't know if he's going to skip so he can keep up with his homework."

"Yeah, well, that is important."

"But if he _does_ play, I'm sure he'll do his best to make sure you're protected." Cody quickly backtracked. "Not that you _need_ to be protected, but, you know, you'd have a friend on the team. Tape's doing tennis and you know I'm already filled with the debate team and student council and everything."

"Cody, has anyone ever told you you need to relax sometimes?"

Cody smiled. "All the time. That's what my nightly mediation is for."

She snorted. "Has it worked? I never noticed."

"Ha ha." Cody bid goodbye to her and went out to the garage to slip his feet back into his shoes—not before checking there weren't any spiders residing inside—before walking back to the Tipton hotel. He made it halfway before he heard his name called.

"Cody? Is that you?" He turned around and saw Sadie walking his way, holding onto a dog leash. A golden retriever pulled her forward until she came to a stop next to him. Sadie flashed a smile, wrapping the leash around her hand to hold her dog by her side. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just doing some homework," Cody explained. He decided not to explain how it was more that he was helping a college professor. Trying to explain it would be hard enough, but having that 'huh'? look in response to his excitement? He got enough of that from Zack.

"On a Saturday?"

Cody shrugged modestly. "I love homework."

"You always have. What are you up to now? Grad school?"

Cody smiled. "I could only be so lucky." He nodded towards the leash around her hand. "Getting some walking done?"

"Yeah, just a little." Sadie switched the leash from one hand to the other as her dog walked in a circle around the two, gently sniffing Cody's feet and legs when he wasn't distracted by the patch of grass beside them. "Buster hasn't been on a good walk in a while so I thought I'd take him out."

"Out here?" Hasn't Max said something about her living on the other side of the city.

"We were at the dog park before." Sadie looked up and down the street. "I guess I overdid it a little. I didn't realize we'd walked so far." She scratched the back of her head, blushing. "I'm not really sure where we are."

"Well, the dog park is pretty far from here," Cody said, mentally running through a map of Boston in his head. "That must've been a pretty good walk." He gestured up the road. "The Tipton isn't far from here. We can go over and you can take the bus back. The driver doesn't mind if you have pets on there."

"Really?" Sadie smile a little. "I didn't know that."

"Well, it's not really a thing," Cody said, starting to walk along with her. "Zack and I just snuck a lot of different animals at home, trying to keep them as pets. And we always had to do it through the bus. We stopped when we lost one of our tarantulas and the bus driver nearly crashed into a tree when he found it."

Sadie laughed. "Let me guess, that's why the school bus drivers are always looking at you funny."

Cody nodded. "They can't be too careful." He shrugged, walking along with her, taking large steps over the leash when Buster moved too close, almost entangling them. "Neither can the city bus drivers, taxi drivers, the MBTA drivers, the—"

"Wow, sounds like you've really made your way around Boston."

"Only when we had the time." Cody shrugged.

"I'm sure you must've driven your mom crazy. Or, wait." Sadie tapped her finger against her chin. "That manager guy, Moseby." Her eyes shifted and she added quickly, "He didn't really seem to like Zack much when we'd be at the Tipton." She brushed her hair behind her ears. "Something about not messing around in his lobby or whatever. He seems really aggressive."

"Aggressive isn't the word I'd use. More like mean-spirited. He's as much of a softie as he tries to be imposing. You know what they say about guys who are short, they're always trying to compensate for something. And even then, Mr. Moseby's not too bad. I've gotten to know him over the years and he really does care about people. He just cares about the hotel, too."

"I mean, it's just a hotel."

"To anyone it's a hotel. It's his home as much as it is mine or London's. And he's been taking care of London for years. He's practically a father to her."

Cody smiled wistfully, remembering all of the things they'd been through over the years. How they'd all managed to come together as a family. A sort of dysfunctional family that managed to work together when things got tough. Just like with his own family. How many times had he heard his mom talk about his dad as if he was nothing more than an annoyance? And he'd managed to turn all of that around.

So what was it about his own life that Cody was so unhappy about? He had everything he could've wanted, really. But there was always something for him to fix, to work on. Helping Zack, getting into Yale…

"Well, I guess living in the Tipton is a lot cooler than living with your dad, right?" Sadie's voice brought him from his thoughts.

Cody looked at her as they came to a stop in front of the Tipton. Glancing inside, he could see Maddie and Zack walking through the lobby of the hotel with the daycare kids trailing along behind them. Then further back by the candy counter he saw Esteban and Arwin trying to work on what looked like a fix of the automated luggage cart while Mr. Moseby was listening to whatever London was saying with an air of exasperation in him.

Then he looked at her again and shook his head. "No way. My dad's awesome. Now that he's in Boston for good, I get to see him as much as I want. We're a lot closer than we used to be. Sometimes, I thought I annoyed him as much as I did Zack. 'Cause I'm not into the same things as him."

"I know that feeling," Sadie said. "Being annoying." She clarified after a second of surprise. "Sometimes I really get intense about things, people…it kind of scares them off. Like, I, uh, scared off Zack." She shuffled her feet. "I know things ended badly with us, but I really am sorry for what I did. I was just—"

"—Intense?" Cody supplied.

She nodded and reached down, patting Buster's head. His snout was pressed to the concrete, sniffing loudly. "Yeah. And, I understand what you guys did, too. I'm not mad about anything and, I hope you guys aren't either." Cody pressed his lips together, unsure of what to say in response. One of the few times in his life. A bus pulled up to the curb. "Oh, that's the bus. Thanks for walking me, Cody. I guess I'll see you at school." She waited for the crowd to get off before she motioned her dog to get on and followed after him.

Cody frowned as he watched the bus drive away. He didn't remember ever mentioning to her that he sometimes lived with his dad before she brought it up.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, things aren't going too well now are they? Cody does tend to get mixed up in trying to help people. But that's just his caring nature, I guess.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	11. Piece Of Advice

**.:10:.**

 _Piece of Advice  
_

* * *

"Hey buddy, wake up."

Cody opened his eyes and rolled onto his back to look up at Kurt, who gently shook his shoulder. Cody rubbed an arm over his face then reached out and grabbed his phone to look at the time. His eyes narrowed into slits when he saw the time. "You know I like to keep up with an eight hour sleep schedule," he murmured. "Why are you waking me up at 6 AM?"

Then Zack's face popped up above Kurt's. "Because we're going to the gym and dad thought it was a good idea to ask if you wanted to come." He paused. "I told him it was a dumb idea."

Cody glared back at him.

Kurt placed his hand on Zack's face and pushed him back out of the way. "If you don't want to come, I'll let you go back to sleep. Got to get those eight hours in, right?" He stood back, placing his hands on his hips. "You know, I wonder if things would've worked out better if I got eight hours of sleep. But when you're out on the road you have some really late nights and—"

"—Dad, before you get into another one of your tour stories, let me stop you," Cody said. He used the heels of his palms to rub at his eyes. Now fully awake, he looked his father in the eye. "Because they can go on longer than the rest of us would like to listen and I'm sure some of them are grounds for you being arrested."

"Yeah, those are the best ones." Zack grinned and high-fived his father. Kurt grinned back then noticed Cody's raised eyebrow and immediately wiped the smile off his face and added quickly, "But it's not something you should be repeating."

Zack held his hands up defensively.

"Let me just get showered and changed and—"

"Uh, the only time you need to shower is after you're done working out, dude," Zack interrupted with a snort. "That's kind of the point." He puffed out his chest. "You get that manly smell and show off how hard you worked. You get be a real man's man." He waved his hand. "It's not like that 'musk' smell you put on."

"Hey, it's done a great job of attracting the ladies," Cody defended himself.

"Sure, sure." Zack nodded. "But it just goes to show, to the buff go the babes and to the weenies…well, you get it." He leaned over and squeezed Cody's bicep, pushing his muscle done to the bone. Cody pulled his arm back and shoved Zack hard on the chest.

"Hey, knock it off!" Kurt said firmly. He glared at Zack. "Go wait for us. Cody, please just get dressed."

"No problem."

Cody threw off the covers of his bed and turned to make it back up. He knew if Zack was watching he'd make some sort of a remark about it. 'Why would you make you bed if you're just going to get back in?' to which Cody would have to quickly reply about cleanliness and how being in a routine made things easier to get the day running. Just another one of the things they continued to argue about.

"I know you guys have only been living with me for a year now, but it's starting to get really hard to get you to stop arguing," Kurt pointed out.

Cody shrugged. "We always argue, dad, it' what we do."

"I've never seen it that bad."

A look of surprise came to Cody's face as he finished tucking in the sheets. "That's not bad at all. No, bad is when we stopped speaking to each other for two weeks because we couldn't decide whose turn it was on the bike we had to share. Bad is when we had to share a hotel bed that was smaller than grandma's couch. Bad is…" Cody trailed off.

He wasn't quite sure how anything could get worse. But things weren't bad by any stretch of the word. Kurt placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm just saying, Cody, that it doesn't look like your bickering is helping things much. Considering what Zack has been through lately."

"He's the one who starts it, not me."

"Cody—"

"—And why is everyone taking his side on this?" The words blurted from Cody's mouth before he could stop them. He looked his father in the eye, crossing his arms over his chest. "Even mom is treating him like he's glass and they're the ones who are always arguing. I can't ever act normally around him because I might trigger him or something. I step back and try to be supportive to help and I don't get anything in reply for me to leave him alone. What about what he did to us?"

Kurt watched Cody.

"If he…if he kept throwing up the way he did, he could've really hurt himself. He could've...he had a heart attack and blow it off like nothing happened. If he died, what would've happened? Would you still have moved back here permanently? Or would you have run away again like you did when things got hard between you and mom? And why am I the only one who's trying to help?"

Kurt folded his arm. "What make you think we're not trying to help, Cody? I go to the gym with Zack to make sure he understand how healthy eating and having a healthy workout regimen is better than not eating at all. Your mother is making sure he has the structure he needs to get his work finished and on time and—"

"—And I'm trying to be there for him but he won't let me!" Cody cried. "I'm trying everything but he keeps telling me to go away."

Kurt reached out and grabbed onto his younger on, pulling him into his arm. Cody leaned against Kurt's chest and listened to his father's heartbeat. There had been a time where he begged his father to come back from his tour to be with them. Remembered how ad he would be when Kurt would promise he'd be somewhere and not show up. Now that he was here, he was begging for things to go back to normal with his own brother, who was still with him.

If it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, Cody probably would've laughed. As it was, a moment of being comforted was good enough. Sometimes he hated how he was so emotional compared to Zack, who could let things roll off his back like they were nothing.

 _If it was actually nothing, then he wouldn't have let everything get to him,_ Cody reminded himself.

"Then I'm going to tell you the same thing your mother told me," Kurt said. "That I needed to stop being there in the way I thought you wanted rather than the way you needed. Instead of trying to help Zack, just be there as his brother. Stop trying to force him to talk and just hang out with him like everything is normal. Then he'll open up to you."

"I don't know…"

"It worked with you, didn't it?"

Cody took a step back and looked his father in the eye. Admittedly, as much as he wanted Kurt to be back, there had been many times he'd pushed his mom to date. Pushed her to be serious with boyfriend she wasn't serious about, pushed her into getting married when the time came. He had resented his dad for a long time, having had chosen to galivant around the world rather than be there for his children. It took a long time for Cody to understand why but it still hurt.

 _I guess I never realized how much it still hurt to see him,_ Cody thought.

* * *

Zack dribbled a basketball across the court then did a lay-up to the basket. The ball bounced off the backboard and hit the rim before falling to the ground. "Too close," Cody remarked. Zack glanced at him as he joggled to catch the ball. "You were too close to the backboard. You didn't have the right angle to get the ball in."

Cody held his breath when he noticed the irritation that came to Zack's face. This was what they fought about in the first place. What started it all. Zack had been annoyed that Cody and Tapeworm were playing basketball. Or rather, Zack was annoyed that _Cody_ was playing basketball. Sport weren't Cody's thing but he'd been told by the principal that he wouldn't be able to graduate if he didn't have a sport credit. At first, he'd hoped working as the team manager or a towel boy would suffice, but no. He had to actually participate on a team.

Basketball was the first one that came to mind. Tapeworm had the idea of trying out and asked Cody to help him. With their scientific minds, scanning the court for open space to make the correct shots based on angles was easy. It was the conditioning that was the hard part. Soon, Cody found himself enjoying the sport a much as Tapeworm did, easily reminding them of the times they'd played on their middle school teams together. He'd hoped Zack would've liked him on the team a well, finally playing a sport again.

Next thing he knew, Zack was having a heart attack in the middle of the gym all because he couldn't handle sharing the spotlight. Or else, that's how he took it.

 _"Don't try to be there for him in the way you think he wants, be there for him the way he needs."_

 _I have to admit, he gives good advice sometimes,_ Cody thought. But only time would tell if it'd actually help when executed. Cody took a deep breath and said. "The trick to basketball isn't just about conditioning and studies of plays. It's about the hoop diameter, the length from hoop to hoop, the diameter of the ball…"

"Blah, blah, blah," Zack opened and closed his hand to mime a working mouth. It was obvious he didn't care much for the conversation topic.

Cody lifted his eyebrows. "You want to improve your shooting?"

"My shooting's just fine."

"If you consider making about half of your shots 'fine'," Cody taunted. Zack looked back at Cody with a quizzical look, mild irritation dancing behind his blue eyes.

Cody held out his hands for the ball. Zack passed it to him and Cody hugged it against his chest. He leaned forward and lowered his voice, ready to drop a revelation. Zack leaned back towards him. "It's the secret to how Tapeworm and I got better so fast."

"You finally decided that wearing heels wasn't actually going to make you taller?" Zack cracked.

Cody frowned. He felt his cheeks enflame with a wave of embarrassment he hadn't felt in a few years. "That was just for ballroom dancing." The favor he and Zack had done for Esteban to help him send money back to his little sister had been okay. Fun even.

How else would he have been able to get close to Janice and Jessica without an excuse to do so? Zack had gone on and on about how having their chests pressed together was just a step away from being able to get them to agree to making out. Cody had been eager to impress the girls and thought appearing taller would help him.

"And yet you haven't seemed to have gotten rid of those ugly shoes." Zack folded his arms. Now his eyes danced with mirth. "I mean, I always said you had bad style but—"

"—Those were moms."

"My point exactly."

Cody let out an irritated puff of air. "Do you want to know or not?" He'd dealt with Zack too many times to let it truly get to him. Still, he had unwavering patience for his twin brother. A short fuse. But unwavering patience.

Zack feigned sudden boredom, patting the air in front of his mouth as if he were yawning. "If I have to sit through boring lectures in schools then I guess I can sit through one from you."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Thanks." He spun the ball in his hands, pressing his index fingers into the ball and used his thumbs to spin it around. "When you're shooting a basket you have to take into consideration that you're working with three factors." He held up three fingers. "Angles, impulse, and the positions of your arms." Zack lifted an eyebrow. "You apply a greater angle when making a field shot, but a smaller one when you're hooting from inside the free throw zone." He motioned to the empty court, making Zack twist around to see what Cody was looking at. He continued to look unimpressed. "Then, of course, you need to shoot higher when you have defensive players in front of you. Then the parabola—"

"The ebola?"

Cody sucked in a breath through his nose. "Ebola is a virus that makes you very sick."

"You think I can use it as an excuse to get out of my next math test?"

"Would you focus, please?"

Zack held up his hands defensively, widening his eyes innocently.

"The parabola is the downside curve made in every shot. When you're shooting, the higher the parabola, the cleaner the shot to the hoop. The lower the parabola, the wort it i. That's what the follow through with your writ is for, it gives a back flip effect to aid the ball when you're shooting. Get it?"

Zack lowered his hands to his hips and flipped his hair from his eyes. "I stopped listening when you started talking." Cody let out a frustrated groan. "But I think I get it. Don't just shoot at the basket. Whatever. Pass me the ball and I'll show you how I do it."

Cody moved the ball behind his back. "Let's make it interesting."

Zack slowly started to smile. "I'm listening."

"If I win you have to give up your rights to the TV for the next week," Cody said. "There's a documentary coming on that I want to watch."

Zack pursed his lips. "If I win you have to give up blankie for a week."

Cody blushed again, his eyes frantically darting back and forth as he looked to see no one was listening to them. He spoke through gritted teeth, "I told you, I don't sleep with blankie anymore."

"Well, you might not _sleep_ with him anymore but I'm pretty sure I've seen it used for something else you do in be—"

"Do you want to play or what?" That was so _not_ a conversation Cody wanted to have. There was a reason it was called 'locker room talk' and the basketball court certainly did not qualify as that. Cody shifted the ball back to his front, took a step back and lifted his arms above his head. He calculated for a second then lobbed the ball through the air. The twins watched it arch towards the basket before cleaning falling inside.

With a smirk, Cody folded hi arms and leveled his gaze to his older brother's. Zack eyed him in response then muttered, "Lucky shot," before jogging to get the ball. He grabbed it with his foot and rolled it backwards so he could juggle it up to his knee then to his hands, much like a soccer ball. Then, once he had it in his grasp, Zack started to bounce the ball back and forth between his legs. "Try and take it from me."

"Try and stop me," Cody replied.

He jogged across the court to stand in front of his brother. The twins looked each other in the eye as Zack continued to bounce the ball back and forth. Cody continued to look Zack in the eye, waiting for him. Just because Cody was teaching Zack doesn't mean he was teaching him everything he knew. An one of those things was how well he knew his older brother. Zack had a habit of letting his eyes betray his emotions and when he was playing a sport, it betrayed where he was going to make a move.

Cody was ready for him.

When Zack's eyes shifted to the right, Cody quickly moved in the same direction and stuck out his hand, grabbing the ball. "What?" Cody charged towards the basket and with a push off of his right foot did a easy layup to get the basket. He grinned, catching the ball on the way back down. Zack blew his bangs off his forehead and lifted his hand, motioning for Cody to come at him.

This time, Cody was on the offense while Zack was on defense. They ran back and forth across the court, twisting back and forth to keep the other from prevailing. Ultimately, Zack faked Cody out and managed to get the ball, scoring a basket himself.

"Oh yeah, baby!" Zack cheered. "You can't stop me, so don't even try!" He dropped the ball and made a show of flexing his muscles while giving wrestling growls. Cody rolled his eyes but was unable to keep form laughing.

For the next hour the two continued to play, running back and forth and taking as many baskets as they could. Eventually, Zack instructed Cody to give him the ball at one point and they worked out a play they could do if they were ever on the court together. It was a difficult move, an illusion of sorts that would make a defender confused with the twins on the court at the same time. It had to look like one person was teleporting with the way they moved, but it also meant they couldn't look at each other and had to rely on each other getting to the right place when they through the ball.

They were working on that play when Zack threw the ball towards Cody, who didn't get to the ball fast enough and careened towards someone who was tentatively moving through the door to the gym.

"Heads up!" Zack called.

Cody ran faster and grabbed the ball, his feet skidding across the floor, stopping him just in time. He let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry about that."

"That's okay," Sadie replied with a warm smile. She clasped her hands together in the front pocket of her sweatshirt. "I see you guy are getting some hard work done." Her eyes shifted behind Cody and she waved timidly. "Hey, Zack."

Zack lifted his hand in response but didn't otherwise respond. Even though Cody wasn't looking at his brother, he could tell Zack was still very angry with her. He hadn't said anything about it, but when she came up in conversation, Zack didn't say anything at all. And he _always_ had something to say about girls. Even Ella, the girl Zack tended to get into a screaming match with when they were working in some sort of competition with each other (of which had been why they didn't work out), Zack had nice things to say about.

So far Max and Riley had been the only ones who could handle Zack's competitive side in stride, an even match with their own level of competition. _Then again, Zack and Sadie never really had a meaningful relationship_ Cody reminded himself.

"I didn't think I'd see anyone here so early," Sadie continued, giving Cody a pleasant smile. "Especially you."

"Yeah, well, my dad and Zack were already going to come and they talked me into coming," Cody said. He didn't take offense to her comment about being surprised to see him. It was still hard for some people to see him as an athlete no matter the attention he'd been getting as of late. _Not the attention you really want, _the voice in his head reminded him as a image of Rhuben appeared.

Surprised, Cody blinked and shook his head. Sadie tilted her head a she watched him. "Sorry, just had a bit of sweat in my ear," he quickly lied through his teeth, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Like he had been caught cheating in some way. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Oh! Don't you know? My dad own this gym, and the chain." Sadie waved her hand around the complex. "I get free entry so I come in early to do some of my stretches and splits for the dance team." She took a step towards Cody. "We've got some new tricks we're trying out at the next game."

"I'm sure they'll go well," Cody said politely. "The dance team's looking pretty good." Not that he was able to see much. Usually the guys were in the locker room getting a pep-talk for the second half of the game. But he did tend to have his attention drawn over towards the sidelines and stay there when he wasn't playing currently in play. He was starting to get as bad as Zack.

Sadie's smile widened at his admission. "That so sweet of you to say."

"I mean—"

"I hope you like what we come up with next. It was my idea." She stepped forward and grasped his wrist, rubbing the skin with her thumb. "Why don't I show you now? Get your opinion? We want it to be a crowd pleaser and I could really use a guy's perspective."

Alarm bells were now going off in Cody's head. Abort. Abort. Get away before you do something stupid. Before you do something you regret. _Before you ruin your chance with Rhu._ Cody frowned, doing his best to push the thought away and took a step back. Sadie's hand dropped from his wrist.

"Zack and I have a lot of practicing to do and then we were going to meet with our dad for breakfast." Cody quickly added a, "Sorry," hoping it sounded sincere.

The smile never left Sadie's face as she returned her hands to the pocket of her sweatshirt. If anything, they became more pleasant, lashes almost batting at him. "No problem, Cody. I'll just catch you later." She paused, waiting for him to respond. When he didn't she said, "At the next student government meeting?"

"Oh. Right. Yeah." To finalize if they'd be doing a beauty pageant. "See you then."

"Bye." Sade finger-waved at him and left the gym, her hips and ponytail swinging in time as she went.

"Piece of advice," Zack said slowly, quietly, coming up behind Cody. "Keep an eye on her."

"It's nothing," Cody said quickly. "We're on student government together so we have to talk. I'm not going to do anything with her." He looked meaningfully at Zack. "Not after what she did to you."

Zack smiled back.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, did you guys see Zack's new movie, _Dismissed?_ I freaking loved it! An I'm probably going to write a fic based on it as well. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I find the dynamic with the Martins to be very interesting if thought of enough and it'd been a while since I've showcased them.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	12. Looking Up Then Crashing Down

**.:11:.**

 _Things were looking up...then came crashing down._

* * *

"So, which do you think is more lethal?" Cody asked, turning a piece of blackened toast over in his hands. He lifted his gaze to look at Zack, whose lips were pursed in apprehension. "Mom's cooking, dad's cooking, or Arwin's cooking?"

"I think it's a toss-up," Zack commented. He threw the piece of toast back onto his plate and made an 'x' with his fingers before picking up his fork and poking at it. "Mom's food just tastes disgusting, dad's food is at least edible though bland—he gets a pass because he lived off gas station food for years, Arwin's will probably actually kill us." He ran a hand through his hair. "I think this is the only time I haven't wanted to eat anything."

Cody was about to remind him it wasn't necessarily true, but kept himself from doing so. That would've been a terrible comment to make. Not just because it was soulless, but also because the speed at which it would've come out would've been as equally insulting. Not that insulting his brother wasn't fun for him sometimes, he could dish it as easily as Zack could, but having to remind himself that some things were off limits now was a little harder than he thought it'd be.

"Well, without wanting to throw it up afterwards," Zack added. "But this would _definitely_ make me want to blow chunks."

Cody smiled to himself, relief slowly forming over him. As long as Zack could make a comment about it, he didn't have to feel so stiff about everything. And…he certainly did agree that Arwin's food was probably the one that was going to eventually kill them. And that was saying something compared to his mother's food.

"Why don't you make breakfast for us, anymore?" Zack asked after a minute.

"When would I have the time?" Cody shot back. "Between basketball, student government, homework, college applications, debate team, mathletes, honors classes—"

"—You could've just said, 'I'm too busy being a dork' and I would've gotten it," Zack interrupted.

"And besides, it all takes time. If I want to make my omelets as light and fluffy as possible, I need to find free range eggs that are as organic as possible, which isn't easy to find in Boston, and then I'd need to spend a good amount of time—"

Zack held his hands up, stopping Cody from speaking. "Stop. The more you talk about it, the hungrier I get and makes Arwin's food look good. And I don't think I want to die before graduation."

"Funny, that's what mother used to say," Arwin said, sitting at the table with Zack and Cody. He let out wistful sigh, pressing his hands to his cheeks.

Cody's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. The timeline of Arwin's words would _not_ make any sense considering how old Arwin was and how old his mother was. He exchanged a look with Zack, whose face was scrunched up in confusion as well. Math wasn't his best subject, but even Zack could figure out it didn't make sense.

"When she graduated high school?" Cody asked slowly. "College?"

"Clown college?" Zack muttered then scowled when Cody kicked him in the shin. There was being rude and then there was being downright insolent. Especially when Arwin's mother's…appearance was a bit of a touch subject.

"No, weight watchers," Arwin commented. "For the third time. They got excited for her by that point. But mother's support group were so sad to see her go." He sucked in a breath and dropped his hands to his lap. "It only lasted a little while before she went on the Slim Fast diet and then everything changed."

"Wha—"

"Don't ask," Carey interrupted, sitting along with them. "I don't want to hear that story again. It takes too long." She brought a hand up to rub at her temples and Cody flashed her a small smile. His mother could sing in front of large crowds every night without any problems, but when she met the family of those she was dating, that's when she became nervous.

How many times had he seen her turn into a clumsy mess when things got to be a little too uncomfortable for her. Which, as she said, was nearly every day since he and Zack were born. But Cody didn't know for sure how true that was.

"Mom, are _you_ trying to go on a diet again?" Zack asked. "Remember, the last time? You ended up being kicked out of the Paul Revere Mini Mart because they wouldn't let you have any more free samples."

"Those samples were tiny and they know it!" Carey shot back, lifting a finger. "It takes about fifty of them to be able to get to even one serving." She rubbed her neck. "And they didn't have to be so rough on me when they were kicking me out of the store."

"You know Wayne would've let you stay there, you didn't have to have security called," Cody pointed out.

His mother gave him a stern look. "Did _you_ want Wayne to be around that much more?"

Cody bobbed his head back and forth. When she put it like that? Not. Wayne's infatuation with their mother was one of the more distressing things he'd ever had to witness. Not including seeing her get engaged to that rich guy when he was sure his parents would still get back together. Not including watching her and Esteban ballroom dance—though he would be the first to admit she was amazing at it. Not including watching her attempts at flirting. (Which, conclusively, weren't as great as Arwin's, but he still managed to get her in the end).

"I don't know, did that mean we'd get free food?" Zack asked. He held up his hands when their mother glared at him. "Okay, that's my cue to know I've gone too far. Thankfully, I've seen it enough where it doesn't throw me. C'mon, Cody." He nudged his brother on the arm and got up from the table. "We can get something to eat on the way."

Cody's nose wrinkled. "I'm not getting any fast food breakfast."

Zack pointed at him as he backed out of the door. "You don't know what you're missing."

"Food poisoning."

"Sausage and Egg McMuffina," Zack practically sang.

"Diptheria and dysentery," Cody sang back.

"You really need to get a life."

"And you really need to get a hobby."

They joked like that all the way to school. And Cody felt the most relaxed he'd ever had in a long time. Finally, _finally,_ they were acting like brothers again. And Cody knew Zack felt the same way. If they two were compared outright, many would believe Cody was the one who would fall apart at the seams the moment something went on. All because Cody was more forthcoming with his emotions. But it was clearly Zack who was the more sensitive of the two, keeping it quiet so that it volcanoed when things became too much for him to bear. He tried to hide it with jokes and cynicism but was the first one to cuddle up to Cody when the time came. ("I'm just trying to protect you", Zack would say. Cody remembered hearing him say it a lot when the two would listen to their parents argue). The whole way to school they continued to joke, making it seem like nothing between them had changed.

Zack even allowed Cody to, gently, tutor him on some of the math things he needed to know for the test he was taking that day. One of the last ones before he could get focused on the work for that year. There wasn't a lot left he needed to catch up on and with graduation right around the corner, he needed to hunker down and focus. Cody didn't need to say he was proud of Zack, Zack already knew it. Cody could tell from the smile on his face and that mischievous twinkle in his eye that seemed to all but disappear when he struggled with his eating.

Things were looking up...then came crashing down.

The moment Cody stepped onto the school grounds, he broke away from Zack and headed towards the student government office. He didn't make it too far until he found the rest of the group already outside the room, talking urgently to each other. Cody came to a stop by Bailey and Sadie asking, "What's going on?"

"Mr. Forgess says if we don't make a decision about our fundraising opportunities now, then we won't have the senior trip," Bailey explained, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Like, cancel it entirely. And because we said it wouldn't be fair, he's threatening to cancel it for the rest of the school for as long as the school is open."

Cody frowned. "He can't do that. The senior trip has been a tradition since the school opened. And traditions are a fundamental part of experiences that are to bring our community together."

" _And_ help develop our socio-economic futures," Bailey agreed, nodding earnestly. Cody felt a wave of relief wash through him. If there was anyone who would understand what he was trying to say, it was Bailey. "So what are we going to do?'

"We have a plan already," Sadie said, taking a step forward to address the group. She brushed her red hair behind her ears. "We're either going to be doing another homecoming dance or we're going to do a pageant. It won't take too long to get everything figure out."

"But it's not going to happen if we don't come up with two senior representatives to go along with it," Bailey pointed out.

Sadie put her hand up. "I'll do it."

"We need _two_ representatives. And we have to take into consideration if we're even going to do the pageant. It may be an outdated, sexist idea, it'd have to be approved and I think you'd be a bit hard-pressed to find any of the teachers and parents want us to parade around in our bathing suits during a school function."

Sadie grinned. "I don't think many people will complain about that." She turned to Cody and placed her hands on her hips. "Isn't that, right? I mean, it's just free expression of yourself."

"It's not free expression of _yourself_ it's free expression of your _body_. And Cody doesn't think it's a good idea, either." She folded her arms and met Cody's gaze expectantly. "Isn't that, right?"

Cody suddenly felt very hot under the collar. On one hand, he did agree with Bailey that if they were going to do a pageant, there were a lot of things they were going to need to figure out. Especially if it meant showing off anyone's body in a bathing suit. Teachers _and_ parents wouldn't like that. But the students would get a kick out of it. On the other hand, Sadie was right that everyone could express themselves in any way they chose. And, as a male, he did have a healthy appreciation for the female body.

Not Sadie's specifically, but the female body. Scientifically and…physically. Cody felt his face starting to turn red and he wasn't sure if it was from the stares the girls were giving him, or from the thoughts that were suddenly starting to form in his head. _And I thought Zack was bad,_ Cody thought before mentally scolding himself.

He held up his hands when Sadie and Bailey started to argue with each other and got them to fall silent, waiting eagerly for his response. "Look, I'll figure everything out and then talk to Mr. Forgess. If anything, I can keep him from making his decision for a little while longer." Zack knew how to get his way when it came to manipulating people and so did Cody. Though he felt a little bit of guilt at the idea of having to manipulate Mr. Forgess into doing things his way. But a little go stroking wasn't out of the picture.

"Thanks, Cody," Sadie said, brushing her fingers over his arm. "I can't wait for this."

Bailey frowned. "He didn't say this was going to go through."

"He didn't say it _wasn't_ either," Sadie shot back.

Cody mentally agree with that as well. Because he already had an idea of how to figure things out and how everyone would be happy. It was a crazy idea, but it was something that was crazy enough to work. But…he felt nerves start to buffer him like a battering storm out at sea. There was always that one part that would make things harder.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Rhuben. Of course. That was the way she always greeted him when it looked like he was deep in thought. It was a special thing, he noticed, that she never asked anyone else the question. And certainly didn't manage to find a way to make it sound so innocent and so intimate at the same time. The way she managed to come out of nowhere and ask it quietly didn't help, but her presence did soothe him a little. Out of anyone, he knew she'd be on his side with his idea.

So he explained what was going on with the senior trip and felt his stomach rumble when an expression of disappointment covered her face and reached her eyes. "I reckon I was really looking forward to it," She explained when he asked about her worries. "It sounded like fun."

"I know a way we can still go," Cody said slowly. Almost as if his brain were keeping him from getting the words out. Once they were spoken into existence, it was going to be reality.

"Bribe Mr. Forgess into letting us go?" She grinned. "Maybe have him stay at the Tipton for a weekend and have you and Zack wait on his every hand and foot?"

"No," Cody said. He couldn't believe what he was about to say next, but he made the decision in a split second. " _I'm_ going to enter the pageant."

For a moment, Rhuben looked confused. But then her features relaxed into a smile that made Cody believe he was making the right decision. Not just to help his class, but that was a good incentive, too.

"Fancy some help?" She asked.

"I'd love some," Cody replied.

* * *

 **Cody's Log**

 _I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut._

 _-C.M._

* * *

 **A/N:** I apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. There's been a lot going on lately as well as working out a work schedule. Thank you all for being so patient. I do plan on having this updated more regularly and in the new year (2018) I will have some more Suite Life stuff posted to the site. Please keep on the look out.

Cheers,

-Riles


	13. Cody's Log III

**.:12:.**

 _Cody's Log III_

* * *

 _It's been a while since I've written in here, but a lot has been going on with my friends and me. I've been getting stressed. Not just about the beauty pageant. About everything. Things are coming so fast. The last semester of high school is almost complete, school is almost over, we're going to be graduating soon. I'll know if I got into Yale soon._

 _Not soon enough._

 _I dive for the mail every time it comes in, I check the status of my application online every day._

 _Mom keeps telling me to be patient and I'll know soon. Arwin said the same thing. Then again, Arwin had his hand stuck inside a large pipe at the time so I'm not sure how much faith I can put into that. (But I can say he knows what he's doing in terms of computers. He made it go 100x times faster than it used to, I calculated. If he doesn't quit his job as the head engineer at the Tipton to pursue computer engineering, I think he'll be missing out on a lot). Mom's been saying the same thing since Zack and I were little kids._

 _"You have to be patient," she said. "You have to trust that your hard work will off."_

 _She'd say it to us with a straight face, but I'd hear her crying quietly when she thought we were asleep. It was a drastic change to her other statement that "you can't wait for things to happen, you have to make it happen." That's what she said when she was feeling at her strongest. Mom is one of the strongest people I know but all the same she's human. And she makes as many mistakes as the rest of us do._

 _I make sure a lot of what goes on in my life is perfect. The perfect paper, the perfect project, the perfect presentation. Everything must be perfect or else I won't achieve everything I want in my life. I won't be able to support my mom and give her the better life than she had when me and Zack were born. She doesn't blame us, I know that, but I want her to have everything she'd ever want. Low grades and getting into a not as great school wouldn't do that._

 _That's always been the drive for me. To have a successful life. And everything would get me there, even the basketball team and the beauty pageant. Sports and throwing myself out there were two of myself out of my comfort zone have always been some of my strong points. It's everyone else's perception of me when I do it is hard, because I know I'm constantly misunderstood._

 _Everyone sees me as an overachieving nerd. That's fine with me. I enjoy what I enjoy. But that's not all I am. I've always loved basketball. I never understood what was going on and no one explained it to me, but I liked the way math and physics could be seen in it. So, I learned the sport myself, Tapeworm and I helped each other play, and we got to be on the high school team. People are taking me seriously with it now. Will I be the first one asked to join a pickup game? No, that's still Zack. But at least I've gotten some sort of recognition for what I can do._

 _As for the beauty pageant…I don't have a lot of time to think about because…. the basketball team has been playing so well that we're part of the championship tournament. I never thought I'd be on a team that went that far in competition, a sports team. I must clarify because I've got enough trophies and awards from my science and math debates that I don't have much space for anything else. And that's only from the debates, I have a lot more from science fairs and the academic papers that have won awards._

 _It always surprises me how easily academics comes to me and sports don't and with Zack, sports come easily but academics don't. I've done enough papers about twins and genetics to know there's nothing that would truly determine who, in a set of twins, would be good at what. It's really a sense of what crafts are honed. That discouraged me for a long while._

 _What was the point of trying if Zack was always going to be better?_

 _And I know that's how Zack feels, he doesn't talk about his feelings a lot but when he does, it's always something to pay attention to. He's only told me twice—I've kept count—how frustrated he feels with his school work. That he knows he can do a good job, but it wouldn't make a difference because mine is always going to be better. He's said it one hundred times as a joke, in a way to make some sort of sarcastic jab at me, in a defensive tactic, but he's only said it seriously, twice._

 _Just like he's told me, exactly twice, that he knows I'm mom's favorite. Honestly, I think there's some truth to it, but I never want to tell him that. And the only reason I think there's truth to it is because of, lately, how much I've noticed him and mom fighting. They do it a lot, mostly over homework. Zack can be very blasé about it and roll his eyes, and that sets mom off saying she knows he can do better. That just makes Zack pull into himself even more and it's a vicious cycle._

 _They argued about it when Zack was in the hospital. It was the first time I'd ever heard Zack say he thought mom hated him or that she didn't love him as much. And while they're talking more now, mom does take as much time as she can to take him to some of his doctor's appointments even though he can take himself, there's still a long way for them to go._

 _I'm digressing._

 _The point is that our basketball team is part of the championship. It's stylized as a regular tournament that our team is put in a bracket and then the brackets face off against each other until the final two teams go against each other and see who wins. I've never been on a team that's done so well before and felt like I've belonged. When I was playing in middle school, I didn't get to play a lot. I sat on the bench and kept Arwin company but was as excited as everyone else when we did well._

 _Now that I'm in the spotlight for once it's…jarring._

 _I don't know if I can handle the attention. Well, that's not true. The attention is nice. Being called out in the halls with people excited to see me is great. Amazing. I'm not just 'Cody the nerd', I'm one of the guys. I finally belong._

 _Even Zack has started to act better towards me. We still joke with each other, we wouldn't have our relationship without our jokes, but he's been helping me out as we work on our plays together. Every now and then we play against Max and Crystal, too, the girls team getting to their championship tournament, too. And for the first time in a long time Max looks at me with excitement and encouragement when we play rather than disappointment and fear I'd mess things up._

 _Everyone is being so supportive; and I made that happen. I worked hard to get on the team, to pave a new future for myself than to wonder 'what if'. (Plus, a well-rounded application always helps)._

 _There was one part I didn't see coming. All the attention from girls. It's flattering, but sort of scary. I've always gotten along better with girls than I have with guys, I guess because I'm more in-tune with my emotions. While I haven't dated all of them (now that I think about it, I have dated a lot of them), I'm glad to have Janice, Jessica, Max, Bailey, Riley, Rhuben, and Crystal as my best friends. They're always the first to tell me the truth and I know they mean it when they complement me and my skills on the basketball court._

 _It's the other girls that throw me off. The ones I thought I'd never have a shot with, the ones who I didn't know knew I existed. The ones who preferred Zack over me and continuously said so to my face. They were all starting to flirt with me and saying they couldn't wait to see me play._

 _It's all flattering._

 _For the most part._

 _Sometimes, it's weird and uncomfortable. Especially when it all comes from one person who you're not quite sure you even like._

 _Because, honestly, Sadie is starting to freak me out a little._

* * *

 **A/N:** You know what I've been finding as I've been writing this? It's difficult for me to write Cody. With Zack, there's a lot that can be done to show another side of him; his insecurities and what he truly feels. But for Cody, everything about him, insecurities and what he's confident about, has constantly been shown to us on the show. We know he's sensitive, we know he's smart, we know he's eager, and we know (as he gets older) that he can be a bit arrogant and very sure of himself in academics while not so sure of himself in other areas. So, it's a bit harder to make him feel real.

Don't get me wrong, I'm highly enjoying this story. But there are some difficulties here and there that I'm working through.

Please let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll update again soon.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	14. He Wasn't Having Fun Anymore

**.:13:.**

 _He wasn't having fun anymore_

* * *

Cody spun out of the way of a diving reach for the ball in his hands. Patrick let out a low curse, skidding his feet as fast as he could, but couldn't recover. Cody drove the ball to the basket and made an easy layup. He whooped as it fell, catching it quickly against his chest. He turned back to Zack, who lifted his hand for a high-five, then rested the ball against his chest. "Ready for another?"

Patrick flipped his hair out of his face, hanging in loose strands down to his shoulders from its usual spiky style. He gave Cody the stink-eye before straightening to say, "Mate, shut up."

"You know, I thought people didn't get out of shape until they reached middle age," Zack joked.

Julius made a non-committal sound, bringing a water bottle to his lips. He took a swig then snapped the cap shut with a slap of his palm. "Keep that up and I'm going to roll you over, mate," he said. Cody smiled to himself, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth to hide his amusement while Zack's smile immediately faded, and an air of fear hovered around him. "You just got lucky."

"I don't think lucky is the word, bro," Noah mused, crossing his arms. He tilted his head towards the player's bench where Riley and Rhuben were sitting, folding sheets of paper into intricate shapes. He smirked, exchanging a glance with Julius, who rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

Cody couldn't help but blush. It wasn't like he'd planned the whole thing. He asked Zack if he wanted to practice some basketball, his nerves of the very important games starting to rear its ugly head. Zack, who was someone who would do just about anything other than study, leapt at the chance, ducking out of their mother's gaze as they left the suite to head to the basketball courts at Liberty Park.

It was a completely coincidence that the Jacksons were there as well, Julius—who had recently returned to Boston on a break from school, Patrick, and Noah playing a pickup game of basketball while Riley and Rhuben—who easily admitted they couldn't play to save their lives, and Sydney—who didn't like basketball so much, sat off to the side to watch.

Still, Cody had to admit he played a bit harder and stayed more focus than he typically would. Not because of the added audience, though that was great, but because he wanted to impress Julius a little. The older boy had been a friend of Maddie's and London's since having first come to Boston years ago, dating Maddie shortly after. While Zack held a tiny bit of resentment to him for dating her—which always made Cody roll his eyes, Cody looked up to him. His father was hardly around back then, and Julius treated Zack and Cody liked one of his family, didn't treat him as just a science nerd.

Now that Julius played basketball for his university, Cody hoped to keep his image of not being a science nerd, being able to play with him. "Nah, they're doing a good job," Julius said. "That thing where they…sort of appear on the other side of the court is ace, yeah?" He folded his arms, nodding towards his brothers. "Sort of like how you can move the ball without having to look if the other is there. Bound to help heaps for your tournament games."

"That's what we're hoping," Cody agreed, gently bouncing the ball next to him. He took a step back and tossed the ball towards the basket. It shot through the hoop with a quiet _swish_. Julius, standing by the hoop, reached out his hand and grabbed it. He bounced-passed it back to Cody and he took it to take another shot. Another basket. Julius passed the ball back to him.

"You nervous?"

"Wouldn't you be?"

Julius chuckled. "I'm always nervous, mate. Just want to do my best, that's all I can ask for." His eyes then shifted to the side and he snapped his fingers loudly. Cody turned to see what he was snapping at and saw Patrick and Noah both backing away from Sydney, who stubbornly held the basketball to his chest. "Leave him alone!" He cried.

"We're not bugging him, we're helping him," Noah denied. "Trying to show him how to shoot a basket."

"I can do it myself," Sydney declared, pout frowning.

Patrick folded his arms. "You don't have to be such a baby about it."

"I'm not being a baby!"

"Syd, you're ten, quit whinging," Julius said. Sydney frowned but nodded, handing the ball back to his older brothers. Julius smiled. "Be glad you don't have any other siblings, Cody. Don't get me wrong, I love my brothers and sisters, but they can be so bloody annoying."

"Spend enough time with Zack and I'm sure you'd feel the same way," Cody replied, making the older boy laugh.

Zack gave a hollow laugh in response and walked off the court. He didn't take offense to Cody's jab. Not at all, there was just something else that unsettled him a little. Something he'd always wanted the answer to but wasn't quite sure how to ask. Now that it was sitting right in front of him, he at least had the opportunity to ask.

Zack went over to the bench Riley and Rhuben were sitting on and announced his presence with a loud sigh. He straddled the bench and leaned forward, watching as Riley rapidly folded sheets of paper with deft movements of her hands. She blew her strands of red hair from her face, frowning in concentration. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Well, I'm not sure what you think it is, Zack," Rhuben said teasingly. "But we're folding paper."

Zack ignored the bit of sarcasm that flowed from her voice as well. How she managed to sound charming and be very clear that she was jabbing at him he never knew. Still, it was after his own heart in the way he teased his brother, so he could take it. Honestly, it was what he liked about his friendship with Rhuben. If he were being honest, he hadn't been a close friend to her before his struggles with anorexia. He spent too much time dating and finding girls to flirt with to do it but having her as a person to talk to when he struggled, it brought them closer.

He enjoyed having those moments where they could sit and talk quietly about their struggles and things they went through. So much so he thought about why he hadn't ended up falling for her and found that their personalities simply didn't match in that way. She was a peacemaker, thought things through before doing them, and was often very mysterious. Though she did have as much of a playful attitude he resonated with well, but was glad Cody brought that side out of her.

"Why?" He asked.

Riley sighed. Whatever it was, was clearing causing her strife. He'd never seen someone look so angry about folding pieces of paper. Or concentrate on it so hard it appeared that one look would have it burst into flames. "It's for my art project and I'm falling behind."

"If you're already that far behind, why would it matter if you don't finish it or not?" Zack asked. "It's just a grade." He blinked and jerked his head back when the twin girls looked at him sharply. Now he knew what it was like for other people to have both him and Cody look at people a certain way. "Geez, I was kidding."

"And clearly you haven't met Uncle Christian," Rhuben agreed. She stood up, brushing off the seat of her jeans. "I'm going to get out of here before I catch it."

"Catch what?" Riley laughed.

"Whatever it is that makes Zack so lazy," Rhuben said. She pressed her fingers to the side of her head in the shape of a gun. "Last thing I need is for Uncle Christian to be up my ass because I decided not to do my homework for once." She laughed and held up a hand saying, "Cheers," when Zack shot her the finger. Then she wandered out onto the basketball court along with her brother and friend.

Riley chuckled, shaking her head. She continued to flip the paper back and forth, folding the pages at a speed Zack couldn't keep up with. She looked up at him with a smile that eased some of his worries. Just some. "What's up, Z?"

He loved it when she called him that.

"Does your brother not like me?" Zack blurted out. He tried to keep calm, cool, and collected. Keep up with the image he represented at nearly all times. The words slipped out before he could stop it. Embarrassed, Zack folded his arms, chewing his lower lip, waiting for her response. She thought for a moment, making Zack's insecurities bubbles up faster than he'd like. "He doesn't like me."

"What makes you say that?" Riley asked. She glanced over at her brother, flipping her hair out of her face. Then an expression of understanding softened her features and she nodded saying, "Because he pays so much attention to Cody, yeah?" She shrugged. "I don't think it helped much that you were always glaring at him for chatting up Maddie."

Zack started to protest then closed his mouth knowing he had no ground to stand o. He let out a long breath through his lips, making the sound of blowing a raspberry. He could've taken that answer at face value, but it was the major problem of being a twin; comparison. There was always a chance they'd be friends with some people and not others, they didn't have to share friends. That was fine. But the insecurity over wondering _why_ people preferred Cody to him—and vice versa—could be crippling.

"He doesn't like me, does he?" Zack repeated the question. He tried to keep calm as Riley took a few moments to think about it. Finally, she tore her eyes away from the paper, which was slowly starting to take shape into something, and gave him her full attention.

"Well," Riley started.

"Do _any_ of them like me?"

"Well—"

"No one in your family likes me, do they?"

"Well—"

"Would you stop saying 'well'?" Zack demanded. He jabbed himself in the chest. "My self-esteem is riding on this. And unlike Cody's, it hasn't been shot to smithereens yet."

Riley laughed. "I'd be able to say more than 'well' if you'd shut up. Hold this." She held out the folded paper to him. He had absolutely no idea what it was but took it anyway. "Honestly?" Zack nodded. "They liked you more as a friend then as my…" she trailed off, unsure of the word to use. Zack waited silently, not wanting to push but hoping to hear some sort of clarification on it. "Then as the guy I'm seeing." He smiled. "You have to admit, Zack, your track record for dating hasn't been bonzer." She shrugged. "Then again, neither has mine, yeah?"

Zack twisted his mouth to the side. "Yeah, you haven't told me about any of them."

"I thought you weren't supposed to talk about your exes when you're seeing someone."

"You know all of my exes."

Riley lifted an eyebrow as she smirked at him. "That's because your exes are either my friend or some of our classmates, or someone I've run into on the streets, or—"

"—I get it," Zack interrupted. So, he'd gone out with a few people. Would anyone else let that go? How much longer was he going to be known by his reputation than who he actually was as a person? In that moment, Zack leveled his gaze to Riley with a sense of heartwarming pride. She'd gone through the same thing when first arriving in Boston four years before. Rumors had swirled around of what she and her family were like before they'd even set foot in the school. The way they acted—standoffish and cagey, which had only been because of the abuse they were hiding—didn't help things very much. As many times as his teachers had implied that Zack wouldn't amount to much due to his laziness, there had been many times they'd warned Riley about her attitude before meeting her.

In this case, Zack had an idea of why her brother or siblings wouldn't really like the idea of them dating. It was the same thing he heard whenever he'd be interested in a girl and her friends would start to whisper in her ear. "They think I'm going to hurt you or something?" He guessed, lowering his voice.

Again, Riley shrugged. "Pretty much."

"I'm not going to do that!" He said it so emphatically, feeling it deep within him. And he'd said the same for Max. He hadn't hurt her, she hurt him. Still, he couldn't be mad at her, couldn't not be friends with her. He truly did care for her and their relationship, wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that. He'd grown up and knew how to be in a relationship. When would anyone else see that? "They know that right?"

"They're just protective of me, Zack," Riley reassured him, pulling her hair behind her ears. "No worries. Julius has never threatened to harm any of the guys I've dated before and neither would the boys," She added, gesturing with her head towards her younger brothers. "I reckon you may be on their shit list for a while, but they wouldn't threaten you. They're your friends, too, don't forget that."

Zack smiled and nodded. Still, he didn't quite believe it. He'd had grandparents, uncles, fathers, and brothers of girls he dated all threaten him in one way or another. "If you don't have her back by…" "If you don't treat her right…" "Don't make me angry…" As far as he was concerned, parents would never like him, he paid not attention to it as it was.

"Hey, bend this right here?" Riley's voice caught his attention and Zack looked down to the paper in his hands that, suddenly, looked like some sort of bird. He looked at the part of the bird—the wing?—she pointed to and he did as he was told.

Zack couldn't help but quip, "Does this mean it's going to turn into a real bird?" Laughing to himself, he moved the bird up and down as if it were really in flight. Then he noticed Riley watching him carefully, something shining in her eyes he couldn't quite place. She looked…happy. Zack felt a smile come to his face, feeling his insides warm. "What?"

"It's not going to take flight, mate, but you _do_ get a wish," she said. She tapped her finger against his. "My project for art was to do make one thousand origami paper cranes. Japanese folklore says if you make all one thousand cranes, then you get a wish."

"Well, if it's your project, you should get the wish then—"

"—You finished it, it's yours." Her eyes flashed mischievously. She leaned towards him, instinctively making him lean back out of the way. His heart raced. How could he be so calm, cool, and collected around girls but then turn into a shaking mess with the one that was easily his closest friend as much as he wanted to be more. "So, what do you want? All the money in the world?"

Zack laughed. He could only be so lucky. Many areas of his life would be easier without having to worry about money. The important things; dates, candy, video games. More importantly that that, his parents didn't have to worry so much about making rent and all the other bills they paid for on what seemed like a daily basis. He turned the crane back and forth in his hands as he thought about it.

What would he wish for?

 _There's one thing,_ he thought, flicking his gaze up to meet Riley's once more.

"Well?" She pressed. In anticipation, she rapidly drummed her fingers on the bench.

"I have a few ideas," he replied, honestly. "Just need to figure out which one I want the most." He tossed the paper crane back to her, looking her in the eye. Riley smirked back. "I mean, I don't think it'd be too much to get Megan Fox as a date to prom, do you?" He laughed and leaned out of the way when Riley punched him on hard on the arm. "Ow! What? You said I could use my wish on whatever I want."

"Yeah, I'm revoking that privilege." She tucked the crane under the bench with the others that Zack had noticed was piled up. All in an array of colors, shapes and sizes like a flock of birds that decided to dog pile each other. It made Zack smile.

"You don't need to be so jealous, Ley," Zack teased. He reached out to pinch her cheek, earning a slap to his hand, deflecting it away from her face accompanied with as sharp glare. "I mean, Megan Fox is hot, but even I know she's out of my league."

"Then why'd you say it?"

"To see how you'd react." Riley smiled and looked away. She brought a hand up to scratch her forehead, trying and failing to hide her flushed cheeks. Nevertheless, Zack noticed. He reached out and took her hand, gently running his thumb over her knuckles. "Are you going to our first game?"

"I've got a swim meet that day, but I won't miss it, yeah?"

"Are you going to cheer for me?" His bravado increased when she let out a loud peal of laughter, almost as if she had been thrown off by the question. "You had to have known I was going to ask. I need my personal cheering section."

She rolled her eyes. Of course, that was the normal response he got form her. At first, he'd seen to as a gesture of annoyance, then slowly found it to be accompanied with a smile as time went on. Reaching up, Riley flicked him on the tip of the nose before pointing directly in his face. "You're fucking nuts if you think I'm going to be your personal cheerleader. A supportive friend, maybe."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Just a friend?"

She mimicked his expression. "You don't expect me to prance around with a pair of bloody pom-poms, do you?" She paused. An expression of abject horror came to Riley's face and she waved her hands back and forth. "Scratch that. Scratch that thought."

"Too late, I'm already thinking it!"

"Stop!"

The two were laughing hysterically by that point. Zack held up his hands defensively. "Sorry, once it's in my head, it's hard to get out."

"Then how come your grades fucking suck?"

"Shut up."

* * *

Across the court, Cody smiled as he watched Zack and Riley laugh with each other. Nothing made him feel better than knowing his brother was happy. After the rough year he had, he deserved nothing but happiness and success. He shifted his attention back to the hoop in front of him and threw up the ball, smiling as he got another shot in.

"You're on fire today, Cody," Rhuben said, taking Julius's place to catch the ball and pass it back to him. "I reckon, you're going to win your games for sure." Cody smiled and spun the ball in his hands. "Now, if only you could do it for your talent portion of the pageant. I think it'd go over well." Cody took a shot and missed. "Or, maybe not."

"Ha ha." Cody caught the ball as it bounced back towards him. What was he thinking? Agreeing to do the beauty pageant? He hated to put himself on the spot like that, even hated to do public speaking no matter how good he was at it, didn't like allowing himself to have anyone pick fun of him when he knew it was coming. Bullying in the past reared its ugly head more often than he liked. And now he was going to put himself out there for everyone to ogle and make fun of. _It's for college, it's for college,_ he reminded himself. He held the ball out to her. "You want to try?"

Rhuben shook he head, ponytail swinging behind her. "And potentially kill someone? I don't think so." She motioned to Julius, who was then running back and forth on the far side of the court, playing a game with his brothers as they ran to grab the ball from him. Each time they lunged, he'd expertly move the ball back out of the way, making them chase him once more. "Julius has tried many times and even he's given up."

"Excuse me, I'm a tutor, I think I know how to teach someone to play," Cody said. He gently bounced the ball back and forth between his legs. "Knowing the perfect angle to leap from for a lay-up, to conclusively reach the basket."

"Wow." Rhuben reached up to scratch at her temple. Ran a hand through her hair, arranged her purple strands out of her eyes and said, "You really know how to suck the fun out of everything, don't you?"

Cody laughed loudly. He couldn't help it. For once he didn't have to think about everything that was going on; all the upcoming tests, quizzes, papers, applications, acceptances, rejections. Nothing. He just had to have fun. Even if it were for only a few hours. He held the ball out to Rhuben and she reluctantly took it, turning herself towards the basket.

"So, how do you do this?"

Cody wrapped his arms around her and shifted her hands on the ball. He felt his face flush, noticing how close he was to her. Did his best to keep his composure. "You have to keep your hands here, to stabilize for the shot you're going to make."

Movement across the park caught his attention. Cody looked over, noticing someone was walking away from the basketball courts quickly, red hair strewing behind them. The person turned around and Cody's heart sank when he saw Sadie glance at him over her shoulder. She looked angry.

"Like this?"

Rhuben's voice caught his attention and he looked over, barely glancing at her hand placements. Nevertheless, he nodded and mumbled, "Yeah, that's perfect."

His smile was long gone. He wasn't having fun anymore.

* * *

 **A/N:** A few moments of romance never hurt anyone. Lol. Patrick, Noah, Sydney, and Aaron become bigger characters with this chapter. Now that the stakes with Sadie are getting a bit higher, there's plenty more action this story is going to see before it ends. I've still got plenty of other Suite Life stories that are coming soon as well so keep an eye out.

As for the guest reviewers. Guest review #2: No worries. The hate review I did ignore because it didn't say anything. Had it had said 'this story sucks because the pacing is slow' or something like that, it'd be something I could pay attention to and change. If they don't like it, they don't like it, it's fine. I don't think the story sucks and I greatly enjoy writing it. I'm glad you continue to read and enjoy the story as it goes on! Thank you for your kind words.

Please let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll update again soon.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	15. She's Everywhere

**.:14:.**

 _T_ _his is different than what happened to Zack_

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Cody lifted his gaze from the sheets of paper that sat in front of him. Then he narrowed his eyes towards Tapeworm, who sat across from him, gently tapping the straw of his soda to his lips. "It's easy for you to say," Cody snorted. "You've already got your college acceptance. MIT is going to be lucky to have you."

His voice held a bit of sarcasm, but also a tone of pride. He was happy for his best friend, having all his ducks in a row already. And he was telling the truth, MIT was lucky to have Tapeworm go to their school. The boy who was originally known for how many hot dogs he could eat in a sitting proved to be very complex as Cody to know him. Yes, he could be as much of a nerd and fixate on science and mathematical things as Cody could, but there was more to Tapeworm than people saw. He always loved basketball, despite not having been very coordinated at first, and had a healthy sense admiration for football—as well as the betting that became centered around it.

Cody realized, in that moment as the two sat in the library during study hall, that he was going to miss having his friend around. Tapeworm truly did understand him and that was hard to pas up. The feeling of knowing there was someone out there who experienced the same things and had the same interests…getting bullied probably pushed them closer together than any other friendship he had, if he were being honest.

Tapeworm was the one he could ramble on and on about the things that randomly popped into his head; what truly was the meaning of life, was there a possibility of a paradox that could end the life they knew, were aliens real or just a fabrication of the movie industry—that one Cody wasn't quite sure of, if he were being honest. He believed in ghosts when young and managed to grow out of it but there were many moments of unexplained chemicals and burns on those that claimed to be abducted. Cody found he believed things in hard fast truth with evidence.

And the evidence presently sitting in front of him was that he was going to either find his present conversation helpful or very, very, irritating. (With Tapeworm's innocently blunt personality, it could go either way).

"Well, I knew that," Tapeworm said with a roll of his eyes. He tapped his pencil against the table top, marring the darkened wood with each strike of the tip. Cody rolled his eyes as well, making Tapeworm chuckle. "I'm just saying, I think you're starting to go overboard with this whole Yale thing."

"I'm not going _overboard."_

Tapeworm lifted an eyebrow and before Cody could stop him, reached out and grabbed onto the papers that sat in front of him. Cody strained to get them back, and recoiled in pain when Tapeworm smacked him across the knuckles with his pencil. "Ouch!" With a pointed stare to his best friend, he started to rub the skin around his knuckles. "Do you know how many ways you can become poisoned by the graphite in pencils?"

"Two if you count me shoving it down your throat." Tapeworm grinned. Then he cleared his throat and leaned back in his seat, reading aloud. "Cody Martin's Personal Statement." Cody sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Or as the rest of us know it as, 'why you should let me into your school'."

"Are you done?"

Tapeworm ignored him and continued. "There's only one reason why Yale, the best school in the North—"

"—It doesn't say that—"

"—Should take in me, Cody Martin. It's because you all would be stupid if you don't. The motto of the school already is Lux et Veritas, meaning 'Truth and Light' and the 'truth' is that I would be the best student in the history of your school and would enlighten anyone that wanted to learn from me. Plus, my mom's kind of poor so it'd be great for a news story and publicity for the college itself."

Cody lunged forward and grabbed onto the pages in Tapeworm's hands and yanked them back, smirking when Tapeworm winced and flapped his hands in the air, waving off the sting of the papercuts he'd received. "You know you're really starting to become as bad as Zack."

"I think you're actually thinking of Max," Tapeworm replied. He continued to inspect his palms, smiling a little at the mention of his girlfriend. "Zack's been pretty good lately. He's calmed down a lot, actually." He lifted his brows to regard Cody, whose eyes scanned over the large stack of papers. "Or haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what?" Cody tried to deflect the question. It wasn't that he was getting tired of talking about Zack but…he couldn't help but let out a small sigh. "I mean, yeah, he's been doing better with school and everything. But this is Zack we're talking about. The moment he gets bored, he'll just go back to the way things always were."

"Where you're the one who always has to come to his rescue?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to." Tapeworm nodded to the papers in his hands. "I saw it in there." He made a low whistling sound, dropping his hands to rest against his stomach. "I think you went completely overboard with the personal statement as you always do, but you didn't write about yourself. You wrote about Zack."

Cody shifted his gaze away. He hadn't expected anyone but the school to read his personal statement, honestly. Not even Miss. Tutweiller or Principal Forgess or even the school guidance counselor—though he wasn't sure how much he believed someone with the name 'Mr. Blanket—had read it. They said they hadn't needed to. They knew Cody would get into any college he wanted due to with his grades alone. So, rather than writing his personal statement of getting into Yale about his grades, the committees he lead, the teams he was on…Cody wrote about Zack and what I meant to be a twin.

What it was like to have someone who was may as well be an extension of him. The thoughts and feelings Cody was afraid to have, Zack did and vice versa. They'd gone through so much together to truly understand what it was like to rely on each other. And knowing they were getting to the point they'd be split up and how terrified that made him…Cody wrote about it. Wrote about as much as he knew Yale was the best school for him, he was scared to start that journey without his brother by his side in some way. That it made him more than the guy who was good at everything academic and enjoyed everything a bit more on the feminine side.

"So? It's a personal statement, it's _personal."_ Cody took another cursory glance over his personal statement before biting the bullet and sticking it into the envelope ready to send to Yale. "And it's bound to get them to let me in."

"Like your entire transcript won't already do it," Tapeworm pointed out. He pressed a finger to his cheek. "And, last time I checked, you already sent in your application."

"Well, I don't think re-doing my personal statement is going to hurt at all. Better safe than sorry."

"Is that the same one you're going to be sending everywhere else?"

"Yeah."

"So you've finally thought about other schools you may want to go to?"

With that, a snort escaped Cody's lips. He couldn't help the air of smugness that came to his tone as he continued. "Let's be honest, Tape. I can get into whatever school I want." He ignored Tapeworm's 'don't be so sure' look. What was it with everyone telling him that he had to stop focusing so much on Yale? No one was telling Bailey that and Yale was her dream since…forever according to the stories Bailey told. They would go together and major in very similar, yet different majors. It was going to be fun, especially having someone he knew there with him. "It's just a formality for mom and dad to stop freaking out about tuition."

Tapeworm nodded as if he suddenly understood. "And all of this is to make sure you get the scholarships and everything."

"Not everyone can get a free-ride," Cody reminded him. "I want to make sure my mom and dad don't have to spend any if they have to. And, you know, there's only a percentage of scholarships that they give out to those they deem worthy."

"You think you've got room in that big brain of yours to worry about our basketball tournament?"

Cody grinned. He started to say something back then stopped, his gaze shifting to the side. His heart immediately started to race. The silent signal that something was worrying him, that something was making him afraid. There wasn't anything different around the library; people came and went as they got their work done. That was it. So what was making the hair on the back of his neck stand up as it had when he and Zack were looking for that ghost in the Tipton Hotel?"

"Are you okay? You sort of went pale, just now."

Cody turned his gaze back to Tapeworm and nodded mutely. It didn't take long for him to realize what made him so uncomfortable. Sadie. Again. She came into the library and sat at a nearby table, pulling her long red hair behind her shoulders and leaned over her notebook. She paid no attention to Cody or Tapeworm, but her proximity to them simply made him annoyed.

"What is it?"

"Sadie."

"What about her?"

Cody pressed his lips together. How pathetic was it? Sadie was making him uncomfortable. Alert the media. The boy that blushed nearly every time a girl came near him, the one who couldn't 'talk to the ladies' the way other guys could with ease, was uncomfortable with one of his classmates being around. And for what? Because she was around? How stupid. No matter how many times he managed to convince himself how silly it was, he couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Sadie lifted her head as if someone called her name. As she turned her head, slowly moving in their direction, Cody aligned himself behind Tapeworm. Since getting into shape to play basketball, Tapeworm had bulked up. He lifted weights and went running nearly every day, something that Cody didn't have time for. His shouldered broadened and arms became cut with muscle. The perfect cover for someone who was still thin.

With a heavy sigh, Cody leaned forward, resting his forehead against his hands. He was sure this was how Zack felt when Sadie was around towards the end of their relationship. _At least he was more straightforward about it,_ Cody thought. "She's making me uncomfortable," he mumbled.

Tapeworm's face screwed up in confusion. "Why? What's she's doing?" Then he bobbed his head back and forth. "Well. I guess I get it. None of us have really talked to her since she tried to blackmail Zack."

 _And we had to threaten her to get that to stop,_ Cody thought. He couldn't help the wry smile that came to his face. It wasn't something he was proud about. "It's not that its…she's _everywhere_."

"We're in school."

" _No_. I mean…everywhere I look now, it's like she's there. When Zack and I were at my dad's place. When we were playing basketball in the park. Everywhere in the halls." He paused. "Okay, that part I can't really…okay, forget that." He waved his hand. "But this is starting to get weird. Statistically speaking 7.5 million people were stalked in one year—"

"—Stalked?"

"And 61 percent of those that were stalked were female and 44 percent were male, and those were from those they were romantically involved with."

"Okay, but—"

 _"—And_ 15 percent of women and 6 percent of men are going to be stalking victims during their lifetime."

Cody knew he was starting to sound hysterical. But that's what happened when he had information he was sitting on for too long. Since Sadie had arrived at their gym, at their _father's_ gym, Cody wondered if there was anything else going on. There were too many coincidences for it to truly be a coincidence. He didn't believe in coincidences. His rational mind wouldn't let him. One night where he had too much time on his hands, Cody looked it up. And the results scared him.

Tapeworm started to say something else then looked up when the school bell rang, signaling them to go to their next class. "Honestly, Cody, I know you like to learn. But sometimes you really take it too far. It wouldn't be too strange if Sadie liked you, too. I mean, you _are_ twins. But at least you now know she's not worth it."

"This is different than what happened to Zack," Cody called over the sound of his classmates gathering their things together to get to class on time. Still, he couldn't help but question if it were true. Cody grabbed his backpack and pulled it over his shoulders to leave the library. He kept his eyes straight ahead as he passed Sadie's table.

She didn't pay him any attention either. Only let out a low, 'darn it', under her breath when she knocked her notebook to the ground. Instinctively, Cody bent to retrieve it, then quickly backed away before he could touch the paper.

Written all over her notebook was his name.

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh this is fun to write. Especially now that I have more time to do it. And I realized that I've nevr really showed Cody's and Tapeworm's friendship too much in any of our stories and they'd be the one who has the most in common. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll update again soon.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	16. Cody's Log IV

**.:15:.**

 _Cody's Log IV_

* * *

 _So what do you do when multiple people tell you the same thing? You can react to it the way Zack does, by ignoring it with a wave of a hand and a roll of the eyes. Or you can react to it the way I, and everyone else does; think there's some sort of truth to it._

 _How many times can people say Mr. Moseby had a slight tendency to be a bit critical? Enough so that he worked to make sure he eased back on the comments and majorly high standards he put on people. Though when it came to me and Zack, he was still very critical. To the point that I still get stared at when I walk into the Tipton. Well, not stared at rather than glared at. Even though I'm the nicer twin than Zack—of which Zack would also make the same statement—Mr. Moseby still glares at me._

 _Okay, I'll admit that I used to have as much of a bad reputation as Zack. But I was bored and lonely when we first moved into the Tipton. I didn't have anyone around to talk to or hang out with except Zack and that was when we were very similar. When we still had the same interests. Not that we don't know, it's just they're a bit harder to find. That's okay. At the beginning of living at the Tipton, it was fun running around and getting in as much trouble as we could._

 _But I've matured since then. Mr. Moseby and I are on better terms. Even he and Zack are on better terms. (Though that's mostly through Mr. Moseby being Zack's boss as Zack kept his job at the daycare). Nevertheless, Mr. Moseby has managed to change before our very eyes and isn't as mean and spiteful as he used to be. Stressed. But not as mean and spiteful._

 _Then that brings me to London. How many times can people call her an airhead heiress? If they make that mistake now, they'll know quickly it's a mistake. London may have been a slow learner in school and everything that didn't have to do with her money and status in the world, but she's a lot smarter than other people give her credit for. She started her own web show, with my help, and made it one of the biggest and financially wealthy web shows before it's time. She sold the show—giving me a pretty good chunk of fortune for my time producing and directing the show—and made sure to keep it under the Tipton name. All royalties and the name 'Yay Me," became branded and eventually turned into her fashion line._

 _The same fashion line she'd gone to a good school to create. Other people saw her as too dumb to live and too lazy to make it through school, but London made a name for herself. So much so that I don't mind being a mannequin for her when she was back in Boston and working to get the rest of her company off the ground. London Tipton was a lot smarter than anyone would give her credit for._

 _How many times could people say things about other people until they saw the truth? It took me a bit too long. I couldn't understand why it, honestly. I've heard people say I'm a nerd; it never hurt my feelings. I knew the things I was interested in didn't interest other people. It wasn't until people like Drew—and even sometimes Zack—would just roll their eyes or make me shut up because they didn't want to hear what I had to say that bothered me. Then I met Tapeworm and Bailey and found they enjoyed those same things as much as I did. All I needed to do was find someone who had the same interests as me._

 _I've heard people say I was weak and the worst person to pick for sports. So I started to play basketball. And I love it as much as I used to, even when I had only been a bench warmer during that time. I made a change._

 _But there was something about me I didn't quite believe. That was I obsess. That I'm a perfectionist. That I need things to be perfect. I didn't believe it no matter how many people told me. Tapeworm told me straight to my face that I was obsessing over my college applications. And it still took me a while until it struck deep. Until I couldn't ignore it anymore._

 _I needed a second opinion on my personal statement and knew Christian would be a good place to go. Dad wouldn't have understood half of what I said, Mom wouldn't either, but I knew she'd say it was great just because I wrote it, Maddie was too critical, and Zack was definitely not an option. I didn't want him to read it. Not yet._

 _So during my last period of school, which is one of my free periods, I went to the Crystal's house and knocked rapidly on the door. Christian looked surprised to see me when he opened the door, squinting at the sheet that held sign-ups for his office hours then looked back at me._

 _"Cody, what are you doing here?" He asked. "Shouldn't you be in school?"_

 _"I have a free this last period," Cody explained. He hefted his backpack up his shoulder. "Typically, I use that time to tutor other students, but I was hoping I could get some help."_

 _Christian's eyebrows lifted. "What can I help you with?"_

 _"My personal statement for my essay. You're a professor and you give out a lot of papers to grade. I'm sure you have some idea of what is right and wrong with syntax, diction, flow, things like that." I looked over Christian's shoulder toward the quiet house then at Christian. He looked tired, a five o'clock shadow covering more of his chin and cheeks than I'd ever seen on him. "This isn't a bad time, is it?"_

 _Christian looked at me for a moment, he looked like he was staring right through me. Finally, he sucked in a breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, yeah, Cody, please come in." He stepped back and let me inside. Now, I hang out with my friends a lot, as of late it's mostly been online, at school, at the mall, at the park, or at the movies. I hadn't been in the Manning house for a while._

 _But it's never looked like this. With eight people living in one house, it's bound to be messy from time to time. Even living in a one-bedroom suite, which was much bigger than any of the rooms Zack and I'd ever shared, Zack managed to make an avalanche out of it. This was different. I'd known the Mannings and Jacksons long enough to know they cleaned twice a week to keep things from getting too bad. This time, the house was filled with newspapers, magazines, and baskets of laundry that seemed to be out of place as much as the many potted plants that lined the hallway and runners of the living room._

 _I could only imagine what the rest of the house could look like._

 _"Do you want something to drink?" Christian asked, moving into the kitchen. I followed him, noticing the dishes piling in the sink. That certainly was the biggest sing that something was off. If anything else in the house was dirty, the kitchen was always spotless. I made a mental note to ask Crystal about it later, wondering if there was anything about her and Aaron that I'd missed as well. "Water? Some pop?"_

 _"No," I said slowly. "I don't want to put you out." I also worried if there were any clean dishes at the moment. Though I couldn't help but notice the potted plants in the kitchen as well. Unlike the others sitting around the hallway and living room, these had brilliant flowers that stood proudly out of their soil. I glanced at Christian, noticing his dirtied palms. "Was I interrupting something?"_

 _"No," Christian replied quickly. He placed his hands on his hips then ran a hand through his hair. I couldn't help but recoil at the thought of the germs that he'd just put all over his head. "I was just doing some light gardening. You said you wanted me to help you with your paper, eh?"_

 _"Personal statement," I corrected._

 _"Right, right. Well, let me see it."_

 _I hesitated, watching Christian's outstretched hand for a second. It wasn't like it was gold or anything, it even still had some of Tapeworm's blood on it from the paper cut I gave him earlier that morning, and handed over my personal statement. I sat along with Christian at the island as he flipped through the pages, pouring over every word I wrote._

 _They call it a personal statement for a reason. It's personal. Like a diary. Having someone else read it, seriously read it, made my heart twist and nerves erupt in my stomach. Much more than the nerves of the basketball game coming up. Basketball was an extracurricular. This was my future and I put a lot of thought into it. Nevertheless, I couldn't handle the silence. I needed to talk about something, to drown out everything shooting through my brain._

 _"So, the place looks a little more…" I started slowly._

 _"Messy?" Christian broke in, without looking up from the paper._

 _"No," I said quickly. Besides, nothing could be messier than Zack's side of the room. No matter if we were living at the Tipton or at dad's place, he somehow managed to bring a mountain of clothes, books, and knick-knacks all over the place. (As of late, his favorite thing to mess around with—and shoot me awake with—were Nerf Guns). "It just looks like you're starting your own green house or something."_

 _"Yeah, we're just getting ready for the Spring," Christian mumbled, scratching at his jaw. "I want to make sure the garden looks okay by the time the weather turns warmer."_

 _I stared at him. "That's not for a few months," I pointed out. "What with Global Warming and the way pollution has been moving in Boston lately. And, of course, there are the flowers that only thrive in certain climates—"_

 _"Yeah, well, I like gardening," Christian said shortly. I immediately snapped my mouth shut, seeing something painful flash through his eyes. Obviously, it meant more to him than I thought. Or would even know. "It's relaxing. And trust me when I saw the Spring semester is the most stress-filled semester in school."_

 _"Oh." I tapped my fingertips against the bottom of the bar stool. "Can't be as stressful as it is here," I said, making my voice light as I joked._

 _The corner of Christian's mouth turned up. "It's different when they're your own kids."_

 _"I know what you mean," I agreed. "Mr. Moseby always says there's a difference between the trouble we get into and the trouble guests's children get into when they're staying at the hotel."_

 _"Potential of calling the police?"_

 _"Noise level. Apparently, Zack and I are much quieter. And that makes us much scarier." I smiled at the thought. "But things haven't been as hectic there lately. Not many guests with kids are coming. So there's not many people to hang out with at the Tipton."_

 _"I'm sure Mr. Moseby is thrilled about that, too." Christian's smile widened as he slapped my personal statement onto the counter. He folded his arms and looked me in the eye. "And I'm supposed to believe that's why you and Zack are always here."_

 _"Well, I don't know about Zack, but I do like how lively it is here," I said honestly. Then again, I knew exactly why Zack always liked coming over. "There's always someone to hang out with, always someone to talk to. Things stay the same around here." I couldn't help the wistful tone that came to my voice. The Tipton hotel had been different as the years went on. More professional conventions, less celebrities. Less people wanting to hang out, more people leaving._

 _"You know, that's the point about life," Christian pointed out. His eyes shifted at the sound of a door closing. "If things stayed the same, life would be very boring." He let out a sigh, turning his gaze away from my personal statement. "Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it's the best thing that'll ever happen to you. You won't know until you experience it." Then, without looking over his shoulder, he said, "Hey, Rhu."_

 _"Hey, Uncle Christian," Rhuben called back, practically bouncing into the kitchen. I couldn't help but stare, noticing she had her dance team uniform on. The one made of spandex and strategically placed glitter that she made work. Now I knew why Zack always played harder during practice when they were on the other side of the gym. (Not that I didn't know before, but I prided myself on keeping my head in the game)._

 _"How'd you know it was her?" I asked the older man._

 _He placed his rough hand on my shoulder and smiled warmly. "You have enough of these monsters running through the house and you learn their door slams, knocks, and rapid footsteps quicker than most would." He tilted his head. "You know how your mom can always tell if you or Zack was the one who was crying for attention?"_

 _I folded my arms, a dark expression coming to my face. "Yeah, it was usually me. Zack wouldn't stop poking, pinching, and prodding me all because he couldn't sleep and didn't want to be the only one awake."_

 _Christian laughed. "It's exactly like that." He patted Rhuben on the head and left the kitchen with long strides, taking two potted plants along with him as he went._

 _I watched him as he went, suddenly feeling simultaneously self-conscious and completely comfortable. That was something I always liked about being around Rhuben, that she could easily make me nervous sand feel at home. If I'm being honest, it's probably because of having dated before. And…because I'm not quite sure where we are now. Every time we talk, it's…_

 _"Hey," I finally greeted her. Then mentally smacked myself. God, how much more lame can I get? If Zack were here, he'd say a lot. But I didn't need him for that. My own insecurities could handle it just fine. "I thought you'd be at school."_

 _"Same here," Rhuben agreed with a nod. She squeezed an eye shut, thinking for a moment. "Last I checked, you're supposed to be tutoring someone right now, yeah?"_

 _I tried not to grimace. How many people would question it when they knew it was Sadie I was supposed to tutor? I'd managed to avoid her all day and when I saw the sign-up, I quickly told Miss. Tutweiller I had something more important come up. I hate lying, but this was the one time I didn't feel guilty about it. The sense of relief that came over me within those seconds was enough._

 _"Something came up," I replied. "So, I came by to see if your uncle would help me with my personal statement."_

 _Rhuben lifted an eyebrow. "Has anyone ever told you, you can obsess sometimes?"_

 _"She said it, not me," Christian said, pointing to his niece as he popped back into the kitchen. I jumped in surprise, not noticing he'd come back to take some more plants. Christian glanced at me and smiled once more, taking that as his cue to slide my personal statement to me and climb down from his stool. "This is fine, Cody. Stop worrying so much."_

 _I frowned, taking my paper back. Fine. It was just fine? It had to be better than fine. I looked to Rhuben and she smirked, pointing to her uncle's retreating back and said, "He said it, not me. Mate, why don't you just turn it in and stop thinking about it?"_

 _"Because the minute I turn it in it's the only thing I'm going to be thinking about," I replied. "Not until I get my acceptance."_

 _"Isn't that the same thing that's happening now? Last I checked, Codes, this is all you've been talking about for the past few weeks."_

 _"No." I paused. "I haven't gotten to me obsession stage yet. That's going to take another week at the most." She laughed and I smiled. "So, uh, what are you doing here?" I tried not to focus too much on her dance team uniform. I'm not one above being able to admire the female form, but at least I didn't go so far into locker room talk. (I never saw how it'd help move things along, honestly)._

 _"I forgot my pom-poms." She motioned to where they sat on the counter next to the microwave. I gave her a funny look and she explained, "I was beating Patrick over the head with them and forgot them on my way out."_

 _"Huh." I smiled. "Death by cheerleader, never heard that one."_

 _"Ah, ah!" She held up her finger. "I'm on the dance team, I'm not a cheerleader. Cheerleading is in the fall and I'm too busy running for that." She grinned then looked closely at me. "You really came all the way here just to get Uncle Christian to look at your personal statement?" I shrugged. "Why didn't you just ask me or Riles or Crys or Bailey? We're all in AP English with you."_

 _"Because I needed an unbiased person to look at it."_

 _"Tapeworm read it over."_

 _"Tapeworm made fun of it. And if I remember correctly, he used the same word you did. That I was obsessed with my college applications." I blew my hair from my face and looked at her through my eyelashes. "And anyway, if I gave it to you, would you have read it?"_

 _Rhuben twisted her mouth to the side and grabbed her pom-poms, spinning them in her hands. "I don't know," she said honestly. "I reckon I would've been a bit surprised if you'd asked me."_

 _I frowned again. What? How could she think that? Especially after working on applications and homework together recently. I thought we'd had a moment. So much so I'd burned it through my head more than enough times, analyzing every move she'd made, every smile she flashed, every time she looked at me, and couldn't come up with a reasonable answer for any of it._

 _"Why?" I couldn't help but ask. "I mean, once I finally finished with it I would've…"_

 _"Well, that's the thing," Rhuben said slowly. She folded her arms, her pom-poms shaking slightly as she did so. "I never thought you have the time for it. Or me. Or anyone else for that matter." With a shrug, she turned on her heel and left the house._

 _Is she right?_

 _Do I not make enough time for everything else?_

 _But most importantly, what did she mean that I didn't have time for her?_

 _I've never heard that one before._

- **CM**

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait of a new chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this one. I also hope I'm getting Cody's voice right as I continue with this story. Sometimes it's difficult to go through his thought process in terms of his advanced vocabulary and academic interests.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	17. Winner, Winner

**.:16:.**

 _Winner, Winner_

* * *

"So, the big game's today," Bailey said, sliding into her seat at the cafeteria table. "Are you nervous?" She looked up at the silence she received in response and noticed Cody's glare at her. "Was that a trick question or…?"

"I can't even begin to think about the game," Cody replied. He bent over his notebook, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. "I've got too much stuff to worry about and…adding with the game…"

"You want to throw up?"

"How'd you know?"

Bailey grinned teasingly. The sort of smile he had fallen for at one point. The sort of smile he'd been too nervous and shy to do anything about, letting the moment pass by. His eyebrows furrowed, surprised to suddenly have the thought. He hadn't thought of Bailey that way in a _long_ time. He could understand why Moose was so hung up on her. "Cody, you get queasy on car rides downtown."

Cody made a defensive sound. " _You_ try having Zack chauffer you everywhere. He can have driving a few miles feel like you're on the Autobahn."

"Don't you share the car?" Bailey asked, finally putting her camera aside. But not before taking a picture of Cody's melancholia. She rested her chin in her hands, studied him for a long moment, eyes widening. "Don't tell me he crashed it. I mean, statistics say most car accidents occur 25 miles from home. But, then again, it is your father's car we're talking about. You know, back on the farm, if we crashed our tractor—"

"—No one's ready to listen to the Saga of Farmtown Bailey, alright?" Cody interrupted, unable to keep sarcasm from creeping into his tone. Now Bailey glared at him. "Hey, it's better than what Zack could've called you. He would've said you were Cowboy Girl."

"Mhm." Bailey drummed her fingers along the table. "He called me that for months when I first moved here. Sometimes, I still wonder if he actually knows my name." Cody smiled, making Bailey reach out and shake his wrist. "Finally, a smile! I've been trying to get you to smile for what seems like weeks now."

Cody blinked in surprise. Had it really been that long since he smiled? Couldn't be. He smiled practically every day. Made sure of it. It was part of his relaxation therapy, all with yoga and performing medically correct head and temple massages to keep the stress at bay. Once he got the response to his application in, he'd smile like a loon.

"Has it been that long?" He asked.

"You haven't even tried to answer any of our teacher's questions," Bailey pointed out. "Now, I enjoy a healthy sense of competition here and there, but it's kind of hard to have that competition when you're not going to participate." She shook his hand once more. "Now, do I have to drive Miss. Tutweiller crazy, myself?"

Cody couldn't help but smirk. "I think her mom and her thousands of cats are doing that by themselves." He shook his hair from his face. "Sorry, you asked to eat lunch together and I'm sitting here, talking about me."

"I'm just concerned."

"Nothing to be concerned about." Cody did his best not to look over his shoulders, not to give a cursory glance around as he did when he first sat down. He was sure Sadie was watching him. Somewhere. The hair on the back of his neck was standing up, just as it did when his mother was looking for him or Zack to fess up to something.

When he saw what was written in her notebook, saw the look on her face when she snatched it back. Boy, he'd never been so terrified in his entire life. The rational part of him, scolded him for it. What part was for him to be terrified about? She was a girl with a crush. Then there was the other part of him that remembered everything she'd done with Zack, things he'd rather not think about, and what she'd done to rip Zack's

Cody shuddered. He needed to stop thinking about it. Or else it'd ruin his concentration. Funny, how of the main problems in his life, a person was scarier than the idea of potentially losing a big basketball game. Said game that was being advertised all over Boston. He'd even heard about it on the radio, his parents were going, even Arwin said he'd show up. And it was a _girl_ who preoccupied his mind and not in a good way.

"So, what's up?" He cleared his throat, leaning towards her. "Why'd you want to meet so badly?"

Bailey chewed her lower lip, did her best to hide her burgeoning smile, and leaned over her purse that sat by her feet. With a shaking hand, she pulled open the bag and found a large, white envelope inside. She pulled it out and passed it to Cody. Cody took the envelope and ran a cursory glance over the front. He knew exactly what it was before he opened it. It was a large envelope, the ones stuffed with all the information people needed to move onto campus, to start their classes to…

Cody broke off the thought and forced himself to pull the envelope open and look through everything inside. Over and over. Accepted. Full ride. Bailey was going to Yale. And Cody still hadn't received anything from them.

Disappointment rocked his guts, yet he forced the largest smile he could muster on his face, lifting his gaze to hers. Bailey held her hands over her mouth, cheeks scrunched so hard that her eyes were barely seen between her squinted eyes.

"Bailey," Cody breathed. Why was his voice failing him so badly? "You…you got in."

"I know," Bailey squealed. "I got in."

"You got in." He had to repeat it, couldn't help it. It was just so…so…not surprising. Bailey's grades were just as good as his were, better even (not that he'd ever say it out loud), her extra curriculars were a list long enough it'd rival the damage bills Mr. Moseby tried to stick him and Zack with, and she was insufferably persistent with what she wanted. Cody spent many nights looking over her personal statement, knowing it was perfect. There was no question she'd get in and now it was true. "You got in!"

"I know!"

Bailey leaned over the table and gave Cody a hug so tight he was sure his airways had been closed off. Nevertheless, Cody wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her just as tightly. It wasn't his fault, it wasn't like he could do anything to have letters move through the mail faster. And maybe Tapeworm was right when he said he was obsessing a little bit.

But to know everything he'd ever worked for was that close—

"..and my mom and dad don't have to pay for anything," Bailey was saying when Cody turned back to what she was saying. "I mean, with nine sisters it was going to be hard. Madalyn, Emmalyn, and Cora all got married and pregnant so they didn't go to school. Holly and Addalyn went to college in the city…and all of the students were my cousins so there's wasn't much to worry about with tuition."

Cody's eyes nearly bugged out his head. It always weirded him out to hear about Bailey's family. Not that he felt it was any weirder than his own family, but Bailey'd become such a city girl since she'd arrived in Boston that her farming background and severely large family sometimes surprised him. And he didn't have any cousins, so he couldn't imagine what it'd be like if he and Zack were the only students in school.

"And Zoey tried to go to the nearby university in the next city over. So to have this…" Tears trickled down Bailey's cheeks. Hastily, she wiped them away. "To have this…it means a lot for my family. I mean, we lost our farm and had to move to a place we'd never been with anything to our name and now…now I have every opportunity people just get handed to them."

Cody smiled—a real smile this time—and gave her another hug.

She was right. She deserved it.

And he wouldn't let any of his insecurities get in the way of that.

For the rest of lunch, Cody and Bailey had a pleasant conversation; talking about Yale and everything else they needed to do before the school year ended. Finally, Cody got up to take his tray back to the dispenser. Once he carefully cleaned it and his hands with a wet nap, he grabbed his backpack to go to AP Bio, stopping only when he saw a sheet of paper sticking out the top.

Cody frowned. It hadn't been there before, he was sure of it. But no one had come up to him either. _How did…_? Cody broke off the thought before it would come to his mind completely. If he pretended nothing was out of the ordinary, then nothing was out of the ordinary. Mind over matter. It was a sheet of paper, partially ripped off a test or a paper.

That was it. That was all.

He did his best to keep his face pleasant while unfolding the paper. There wasn't much there. A simple note.

 _Good luck at the game, today._

 _-XO, Sadie._

And yet, it was one simple note that made his blood run cold.

* * *

The gym was filled with excited chatter as the championship basketball game grew closer. With a concession stand stacked in the corner of the gym, selling popcorn, pretzels, and every piece of candy known to man, the audience buzzed even more. It was the biggest event the school had seen in years; classes ended early and other sports practices were cancelled to be ready for the big day.

Everyone was excited. Except for one person. Max wasn't sure if she was going to go to the game. Not that she wasn't excited; her boyfriend and some of her best friends were all going to be starters of the biggest game of the year. But basketball…sports…school had been low on her priority list for weeks now. She hoped no one else noticed. There was only so much she could keep quiet, so much she could ignore.

Acceptances were coming in, she'd already gotten hers. Had a few options lined up. So what was the point of even finishing the rest of the year when she wanted to be anywhere else? Cody came close to finding out what was going on, but, thankfully, he hadn't. How pathetic would that be.

Big bad Max, who could stand up to some of the biggest people to her…couldn't get a guy to leave her alone? Her phone was filled with text messages, emails, all unanswered as she tried to ignore it. Tried to ignore the vile words that shot through her head when she wasn't focused on her studies. She wondered if her friends noticed, noticed how much she'd been pulling away.

Tapeworm hadn't said anything. Maybe he was scared to, Max realized now. He hadn't dated anyone other than her. Sure, he'd had crushes here and there but had pined after her for so long—his words, not hers. She rolled her eyes the first time he said it to her, not because she thought _he_ was pathetic, but because of how uncomfortable it made her. Not that it helped much, things still managed to fall apart with her and Zack because of him, the last thing she'd wanted.

 _No,_ Max thought. _Nothing can be worse than the way it is now._ Max let out a long breath, bringing her hand up to grab the strap of the sports bag that sat at her side. She'd thought of getting a workout in the gym, a good way to stay in shape as the spring season of sports was only just around the corner. Though of skipping the dance team performance to be by herself.

To put herself into such a tiny outfit and dance around like that…? _This is something you love. Are you really going to let some guy ruin it for you?_ She punched herself in the thigh, feeling her cell phone in her pocket. It buzzed as it always did. Another text, probably.

 _You look hot._

 _When are you going to come over?_

 _I'm not giving up, you know._

 _You decided to give those losers a chance, why not give me one?_

 _You're such a stuck-up bitch!_

No point in turning off her phone, she wouldn't be able to send Tapeworm his good luck text. One a bit sappier than what Zack, Cody, Patrick, and Noah would receive. She certainly wouldn't be sending anything to Drew other than a zoomed in picture of her middle finger. Knowing her luck, though, it'd just turn him on even further.

"You look a little lost, Max-Man." Max looked over her shoulder and smiled, seeing Riley walk her way, holding onto a pair of pom-poms. "I reckon this place looks different considering how many people are actually here to see a game, yeah?"

Max laughed. "You have no idea," she agreed. She nodded towards the pom-poms. "Did you decide to join the team? Hate to break it to you, but you're kind of late."

"It'd save me from permanently muffled hearing," Riley commented. She stuck her finger in her ear and wiggled it around. "I'm glad the season's almost over, saltwater I like smelling like, chlorine, not so much, yeah?" She smiled and waved the pom-poms. "Besides, Rhu left these in study hall. Not that I don't already have my own." She reached into her own bag and pulled out silver and purple pom-poms.

Max laughed. "Where do you guys get these things?"

"Halloween costumes, decorations, the massive amount of bloody support we show each other over everything."

"Other than when you moved in," Max pointed out. "I seem to remember Crys getting really upset about her lack of space when you all moved into her house."

"Until she had her own personal cheering section, I reckon." Riley smiled in agreement. Then she looked over Max's face, tilting her head to the side. "So my question, why are you standing out here and not inside with everyone else? Don't you want to see the game?" She folded her arms. "You _can't_ tell me you think a workout is more important. I'm going."

A knowing smile came to Max's face. "You don't really have a choice. Half the team if made up of your family."

"Very true."

"And they'd probably beat you up if you don't go."

"Also, very true."

Max smiled. She glanced at the glass doors leading to the lobby of the gymnasium. Caught Drew's eye. He'd been looking for her. Or maybe she'd been looking for him. Looking _out_ for him. Tried to avoid him the best she could. There was only so much she could do during school hours, they were in most of the same classes. After school was her salvation. Now she was going to willingly sit herself in the same room to watch him play for an hour.

He'd be looking for her.

Just as he always did.

It made her stomach twist in knots just thinking about it. Especially knowing it was only a matter of time until Tapeworm found out. Until the others found out. And what was worse? Her keeping the guilt of _that_ secret or the one that'd started everything in the first place?

"Hey, so, can we talk?" Max asked before she could stop herself.

"Absolutely," Riley agreed. "About what?"

"About the one thing we don't talk about."

Max watched as Riley's face paled slightly. It wasn't obvious to be seen, her skin was tanned enough to cover it. But even Max could see the discomfort that immediately befell her friend, a stark contrast to the confident personality she usually donned as a shield.

"Or you can listen," Max interrupted before Riley could deny her the opportunity. "You may be mad at me, you may be relieved…but if Zack, Tapeworm, and I can get through this, then you and Zack can, too."

Riley's eyes narrowed for a second. "Aren't you forgetting the part where you three haven't been able to hang out together since what happened, happened?"

"Okay, I guess I deserved that," Max admitted. She continued to eye Drew, doing her best not to scowl. She didn't need any more attention put on it, but found it hard not to glare at his smug face. "But we all deserve more than that. We're seniors now, we're going off to college. We shouldn't let stupid things hold us back. I know _we_ haven't really talked since what happened happened, but I think we both know that if Zack got the chance with you, he'd have dumped me in a second."

Riley rolled her eyes, turned away. "Max—"

"—I'm not mad," Max interrupted. "I wouldn't have been mad." She paused. "Actually, I probably would've been furious."

"Yeah, he has that effect on people."

"No, I would've been mad because we wasted so much time. I love Tape—" Riley's eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the admission. Max smiled a little. "I haven't told him yet. But I guess I'll have to since he's going to MIT soon and I still don't know where I'm going. But I'm tired of worrying all the time." Finally, she turned away from Drew and nodded over Riley's shoulder. "I think all of us are."

"Max, you're going to go to a great school," Riley reminded her. She grabbed Max's shoulder and shook it. "And, no matter what, you and Tapeworm are going to be just fine. I'm kind of jealous you know." She pretended to swoon, pressing a hand to her chest. "To think I had some sort of feelings for him at one point."

"You know, things probably would've been easier if we were smart enough to avoid being such dumb teenagers for a while," Max said.

"Dumb teenagers, huh?" Zack asked, appearing at their side. "I think I'm a professional with this topic of conversation." He looked Max up and down. "What's up? You're not going to the game? We can't win without you there, yelling at me for doing everything wrong."

Max managed a grin. "C'mon, dude, you know you screw up enough without me having to remind you." She held out her hand and Zack slapped his hand against hers. "Good luck."

"Thanks, dude," Zack replied. He looked to Riley as Max walked away. "Max said you wanted to talk to me about something."

Riley's head jerked back in surprise, face screwing up seconds later. "She did? I do?"

"Well, if it has anything to do with wishing me luck." Zack glanced at an imaginary watch on his wrist. "I think I can make time for it." He grasped Riley's hands, pulling her closer towards him. "Though, it's kind of unfair. Cody gets his own personal cheerleader and I've been working on that for years."

"Keep working, pal, I already told Max I'm not joining the dance team," Riley said. She bobbed her head back and forth. "Also, it's too late."

"Darn." Nevertheless, Zack leaned in to give Riley a kiss but she turned her head, making him press his lips to her cheek. He stepped back and looked at her. "What? I don't get anything to wish me luck? It's not like I said Macbeth or anything."

"And you just doomed the school's last play of the year, Z. Good going, yeah?" Riley teased.

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm not." Riley's face screwed up. She glanced around the crowd push their way through the lobby. "What was the subject we were on? I thought we were just talking about the game."

"We were."

"So, what's the problem?"

Zack looked at her for a long moment and shook his head. "Nothing. I have to get ready." He turned and started toward the locker room. Riley reached out and grabbed his elbow, forcing him back around. She couldn't miss his eyes rolling to face her. "What?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing, what's with the attitude?"

Zack pressed his lips together. "I don't want to get into this now." He added under his breath, "Not unless I want to get another kiss-off." Riley lifted an eyebrow. Zack licked his lips, lowered his gaze and said, "Ley, I'm tired of trying. I'm tired of thinking we're in some sort of a relationship or whatever and you keep me an arm's length away. So, unless you can give me a good reason as to why you keep making excuses to not be with me. I'm done."

She blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I'm done. I'm tired of being the only one putting in an y effort." He paused. "Which is weird, because Cody's usually the one who gets really sappy about this sort of thing." Riley set her jaw and looked away. "So, what is it? Are you bored of me, already? Listened to all the rumors? Oh, let me guess, I just can't handle commitment."

"I never said that," Riley defended herself.

"You didn't have to. I know I haven't been the best boyfriend in the world to…well…any of my girlfriends—"

"—Zack—"

"—But if you want to stop—"

Riley's face twitched with frustration. "It's not anything that has to do with you, it's because I'm fucking tired of you putting me on a damn pedestal."

Now Zack was the one who looked confused. "What?"

"Every fucking day it's the same thing; you think I'm perfect, hot, beautiful, smart—"

Zack snorted. "—And those are bad things?"

"—It is when you're trying to live up to it," Riley groused. "I don't know if you've noticed, but my self-esteem has been shot to hell. There's only so long you can be told that you're stupid and—"

"—And that you won't amount to much?" Zack interrupted, voice dry. "Yeah, I think I got that message loud and clear. And in surround sound when both my mom and dad are yelling at me." He lifted his gaze to the ceiling. "Unfortunately, you get used to it."

"Yeah, I guess it's better to hear it from people who actually love you," Riley said sarcastically.

"Well, at least then you know they're telling the truth." Zack continued his self-deprecation. It was the best way for him to handle it, if he were being honest. He was sure Riley understood that. "Nothing Robert ever said about you was true, because he didn't love you. And, if he did, then that's a really fucked up way to show it. And very unhealthy, I might add. You know, with trust and communication and all that crap supposed to be the most important thing and blah, blah, blah..." Riley tilted her head looking up at him. The anger faded from her face, eyes searching his with the warmth he'd grown to see from her for the last few years. Silence stretched between them for a few moments. "What?" Zack finally asked, unable to stand the way she was looking at him.

He couldn't quite tell what it was.

Pity?

That was the last thing he needed before playing a big game. Her response surprised him. "I wished everyone could see you the way I see you," she admitted, after a moment of hesitating. "Instead of...nagging you all the time, yeah? I wish they'd give you a chance."

"I wish you could see you the way _I_ see you," Zack agreed. Then he leaned toward her, lowering his voice to a conspiratory whisper. "And, I hate to break it to you, but you're not perfect. You bite your nails, you burp louder than me, sometimes you're way too open, you tap your pen when you're thinking and it drives me crazy, you always—"

"—I get the point, Zack," Riley interrupted with a laugh.

"So, you're not perfect." Zack shrugged. "So, what? Neither am I, that seems to be the general consentus around here."

"Consensus," Riley corrected.

"That's another part I forgot to mention. You can be just as annoying as Cody the way you correct me. But I'll tell you a secret. Your voice is way hotter than his, so I mess up on purpose."

"I had an idea." Riley smiled.

Zack smiled back. "Okay, if we got that out of the way, there's one last thing we need to talk about."

"What's that?"

"The same thing you and me never talk about."

"You and I," Riley corrected then laughed, noticing the subtle flash of irritation over his face. She reached up, gently pushing against his face, making Zack chuckle. "Which is?" She prompted.

"When are we going on a real, actual date?"

Riley smirked, folding her arms. "Ask me again if you win." She held up a finger when Zack opened his mouth. "And if you say something like, 'I already won', mate, I'll slap you."

Zack smiled as Riley leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss.

* * *

Only a minute left on the clock and Cody was shaking with nerves. Everything blurred away from him. The cheering in the stands; screams from the opposing team, shouts of encouragement from his friends and teammates, his mother's cringey shouts from wayyy in the back of the stands. Not to mention Arwin's continuous falling down the stands as he went to get something to eat. (Somehow, he managed to find a piece of cake, the resulting sugar high making him crazier than usual).

He continued to shake as he, Zack, Tapeworm, Drew, and their other teammate defended their side of the court. They were one point down and needed to get the ball. But the other team, Cody knew from watching them, they were good. Better than good. A tough team to beat. All their practice time went to studying them and making up plays to counter theirs.

Running through plays and putting them in action were two completely different things. Somehow, they'd have to get the ball back. So far, whatever they did wasn't working. The other team knew what they had to do and were running down the clock as quickly as they could. Cody watched as Zack hunched over, tried his best to make the player he was spotting to make a false move. Cody could sense his frustration as the seconds passed, growing stronger and stronger.

Even Tapeworm, who always had a smile on his face—even when playing the toughest of games—couldn't stop frowning. Drew was as much of an aggressive player as he always had been, it wasn't working this time around. The only way they'd get the chance to win would be if they fouled out.

And yet, the chance wasn't coming.

Not until the breakaway. Cody noticed it first. Noticed the way the point guard had suddenly shifted his weight, moving to make a play around Tapeworm. He'd seen it many times in the videos they'd watched of their past games. It would've been a move no one saw coming. But Cody saw it. He pivoted on his heel, called Zack's name.

Zack immediately reacted and moved in front of the driving point guard, standing rock solid as the point guard drove toward him. He fell backwards as the point guard ran into him. Cody held his breath. The blats of a whistle made him release it.

Foul.

Two shots.

All down to him.

Cody reached down to Zack and grabbed his brother's hand, hauling him up. "You can do it, buddy," Zack murmured, slapping Cody on the shoulder as they moved into position. Cody wiped his hands on the sides of his shorts, wicking the sweat away. He caught the ball tossed to him and took a deep breath, hearing the crowd immediately become silent.

Cody bounced the ball twice, spun it once in his hands, then bounced it again. The same move he'd seen Zack do numerous times. But that was before. Before, when Zack was point guard. Before, when Cody was nothing but a benchwarmer. Before, when everything was different. When everything was normal.

Cody took the shot and let out a breath when it swished through the net. The crowd exploded into cheers as he moved to take the next one. He looked at the clock. Five seconds. Just enough time. Cody took in another breath and bounced the ball a few more times. He looked at Tapeworm, who nodded encouragingly. Looked at Zack, who smiled back at him.

Looked at the crowd; saw the rest of his friends, all figuratively chewing their nails. The dance team stood on the sidelines, quietly rubbing their pom-poms together. Rhuben smiled when he caught her eye. Cody smiled back. Then his gaze shifted. Of course. Sadie sat in the stands right behind her. Had her eyes completely focused on Cody. He burned under her intense gaze.

Shaking his head, Cody turned back to the basket. He closed his eyes, said a quick prayer— _don't let me mess up in front of everyone_ —and took the shot. It caught him by surprise when he felt an arm around him. It felt like a slap.

Way to go, loser.

You ruined it for all of us.

His arm slowly lowered to his side, having been hung up when he took the shot. Then he was crushed in a high so tight it lifted him off his feet. Sound funneled back to him, the exploding sound of cheers. The stands were filled with bouncing, screaming, cheering students.

Zack grabbed Cody by the shoulder and hugged him tightly. Cody reached up and hugged him back. The two grinned at each other, each silently making the promise—this never happened, I'll deny everything—then hugged again, only breaking apart when ice cold water suddenly dumped over his head.

Cody threw his arms around his friends, tilted his head back to holler as loudly as the rest.

They won.

* * *

 **A/N:** A bit of a time jump starting with the next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this one.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	18. Warning Signs

**.:17:.**

 _Warning Signs  
_

* * *

Cody ran a brush through his hair an even twenty times before he set the brush down on his dresser top. Right next to the lotion that he then rubbed into his face, arms, and legs, being careful to get the elbows and knees. The same routine he went through every morning and didn't deviate from. As they said, having a routine set you up for life. And as it was, he needed the routine to keep him from going crazy, still waiting for Yale's response.

Bailey'd known she got in for almost two weeks by that point. And from what Cody had seen online, others were already getting their acceptances as well. How many more times did he have to see posts in the Facebook group of pictures of those holding up their acceptance letters? More importantly, how many more times was he going to see it without having his added to the group?

Cody glanced at the neatly stacked pile of paper on the far end of his desk. Acceptance letters he still needed to file with his other awards and accolades. Stanford, Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia, Princeton, NYU, UMass…all stared back at him. Harvard was never an option, Zack made sure of that ages ago. It was the one besmirched portion of Cody's academic reputation and something he certainly wasn't going to forget anytime soon. Not that he was counting or anything.

Taking one last look at his reflection in the mirror standing over his dresser, Cody ran his hands down the front of his long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans. A far cry from the sweater vests and sweaters he constantly touted throughout middle school and early high school. Joining the basketball team had been a good way for him to change his image, too. A new look for a new semester, for the rest of the school year before they all went off to do their own things.

And yet there were more people who greeted him cheerfully throughout the school. The championship win boosted his popularity throughout the school. People didn't pick on him as much as they used to, save for Drew who continued to shove him into lockers and nearby walls when Cody passed him by. Unfortunately, it didn't help with Sadie. If anything, she stepped things up with him. She wasn't as much of an overt flirt as she was with Zack, seeming to have learned her lesson with it. But she moved to sit near him with every class they shared, every study, he could find her eyes on him no matter where he was in the cafeteria, and saw her around his father's apartment complex more often.

If he hadn't been so preoccupied with school, he would've started to worry a bit more. He ignored Sade the best he could, but couldn't help but wonder what it'd take for her to finally get the hint and leave him alone. He didn't want to scare her, like Zack had to do; and Cody'd never take naked pictures of himself like that. There had to be another way to get her to stop…without having to talk to her.

He didn't have the time to deal with it with everything else that was going on. With a sigh, Cody narrowed his eyes, watching himself. If there was anything that'd get her off his back, maybe it'd be if he did something even more drastic than changing his clothes. Rhuben had suggested he dye his hair, but after the last time…

Cody chuckled to himself. As long as he didn't go red, he'd probably consider it.

"Boys! You're going to be late!"

Cody looked at his watch and immediately sprang into action. He'd never been late for school a day in his life and he wasn't going to start now. Cody whirled away from the mirror and grabbed his backpack from his bed. It was one of the two spots he'd put it, the other being on the floor, neatly packed for the next school day. He hoisted it over his shoulders and turned to face Zack, who was slumped over his desk, cheek pressed against a spiral notebook, drool running down his chin, staining the sheets in front of him.

Sighing, Cody walked over to his twin and grabbed his shoulders. "Zack, wake up," Cody said. Zack mumbled in response and lifted his head from his notebook. He wiped at his chin and squinted up at his brother. Cody smiled back at him.

"What?" Zack grumbled, voice thick with sleep.

"I don't think Principal Forgess or Miss. Tutweiller can say you don't take your work seriously," Cody remarked. He motioned to Zack's face and Zack reached up, rubbing at the indentations on his skin. "What were you doing, anyway? I thought you already finished your homework." He'd sat with Zack the night before as long as it took for him to finish. A new deal they'd agreed to.

Zack, in a rare moment that was much unlike himself, had practically begged all of them to help him.

Cody had stopped by his locker after study hall, to change books for his next class. All his other friends were there as well, he couldn't help but be a bit worried when he noticed Zack. He wasn't in study hall and even when Zack did skip, Cody at least had an idea of where to find him. .That time, however, he wasn't in his usual spots. Zack couldn't afford to mess up with school any more, not when the year was drawing to a close and he had so much to catch up on.

"Why weren't you in study hall?" He asked.

"We enjoyed the peace and quiet but it's hard to enjoy it when you're not at least bothering the teachers a _little,"_ Crystal agreed. She shifted her books to her left arm and rested her right up on Zack's shoulder. "Cody said that you had a meeting with the principal earlier today. Did it have something to do with that?"

Zack glared at Cody, who shrugged sheepishly in response. "Tell the world why don't you?" It wasn't like it was a secret. Zack met with them almost every morning to determine his progress toward the end of the year.

"If it has anything to do with what happened with Sadie we can understand that," Bailey added. Cody tried not to wince at the mention of her name. She shrugged. "The girl was bad news and right now it looks like she'd do anything to get back at you for it.'

"No." Zack sighed. "I've got everything straightened out with Sadie; it's nothing we have to worry about."

"So, what is it? It's not like we're not going to figure it out anyway, so you may as well tell us, yeah?" Riley pointed out.

Zack took a deep breath. "Look, I know I don't ask for help on anything," Zack started.

Max's eyes flashed. "What about Club Twin?"

"And your presidential campaign," Tapeworm added.

"Cleaning up the Tipton after the Drew Crew trashed it," Rhuben added.

"The pageant," Riley said to Cody's chagrin. He was never going to live that down, it seemed. Ever.

"Catching the jewel thief," Crystal said.

Max snapped her fingers. "Oh! Helping prove the little girl and her Dad were con-artists—"

"Okay, okay, I get the point," Zack said, rolling his eyes. "Geez, you try to spice up people's lives and it continues to backfire in your face."

Moose and Bailey, on the other hand, stared at the Boston natives and shook their heads. "And I thought things were exciting back on the farm," Moose commented. "Over here it sounds like what happens when we have to go through a tornado that scatters that cows around."

"I know," Bailey agreed. She playfully swatted Moose on the arm. "Remember when we had to use Daisy Mae and Petunia to chase em' down?"

"Your sisters?" Max asked.

"Our pigs," Moose and Bailey harmonized. Bailey smiled and added, "Yep! If you don't got a sheep dog the next best thing is a sheep pig!" She placed her hands on her hips as Moose crossed his arms and the two nodded. "There've been many times where our pigs have come through in a jam when our dogs couldn't have. Do you know how hard it is you wrangle a cow when she's been knocked miles away?"

"It's as tough as an ear of corn sittin' out in the blazin' sun," Moose added.

"Whatever you say, Babe," Riley said, making a quick reference to the famous kid's movie that spoke about the same topic.

Zack rolled his eyes then said, "Okay, truth is…if I can't get an A in all of my classes then I won't be able to graduate and I'll have to take a summer class and…" he slapped a hand against his side. "You know how things turned out the last time that happened."

"I think we all remember," Cody said. Zack glared at him. Cody, defensively, held up his hands and backed away from his brother. He made sure to move behind Tapeworm, Cody might've gotten stronger while playing basketball but Tapeworm was still bigger than Zack and Cody. A good bodyguard when the time came.

"Truth is, I'm going to need a lot of help to pass. And I was hoping that you guys would help me out. I know I've messed around with things like this before. But I mean it this time. I've already got Miss. Tutweiller and Principal Forgess and…Mr. Blanket doing what they can, but I'm not good in a lot of my classes." He looked at his feet for a minute. "And if there's any way I can pass it's with your help."

"Wow, Zack," Bailey said. "That's really big of you to ask for help."

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to realize you can't do everything on your own," Crystal added with a knowing smile. "I mean, after that whole science fair experiment from Middle School fiasco I'm at least glad you're not handling that anymore."

Zack laughed. "Yeah, if I'm going to be doing another science project I'd definitely want to have you, Bailey, Cody, or Rhu on my team." He looked at Cody with an air of disdain. "With Cody at the very _bottom_ of that list, anyway."

"That's alright." Cody grasped Zack's shoulder and shook it firmly. His smile was as fake as the one Zack had given him moments before. And that made Zack feel good. It at least meant they were on good terms. "Because as good as you are with money, I would never let you be my financial advisor."

Zack shoved Cody's hand away from him and looked at all of his friends. "So, what do you say? Are you going to help me?"

"Well, if I can work this in around college apps, then sure. No worries. " Rhuben agreed.

"Of course we'll help you, Zack. We can't graduate without you," Max added. "We'll do everything we can."

And everyone else agreed. Cody was the first one to organize everything together. As much as Zack got on his nerves, he was still his twin brother and he believed in Zack. He had a great chance of graduating and going to a great school if he grew up a little and worked hard. If anything of their work the night before was any indication, Zack was going to do just fine.

So what was it that he stayed up half the night for? Cody craned his neck, trying to see. Zack slammed his hand down onto the notebook and flipped it shut, holding it against his chest. Then, as if noticing how defensive he seemed, he turned to shove it haphazardly into his backpack. "It's just stuff for my therapy sessions," he explained.

"Oh."

And, once again, Cody felt that divide that seemed to stretch them further apart as the days went by. The divide that'd started as soon as Zack stared his downward spiral within his anorexia. He watched as Zack continued to pull away and lash out the worse he got, confused as to what was happening to their friendship. Now it was staring him in the face. No matter how much time had passed, it was going to take a long time for their friendship, their relationship to get back on track. They could act like everything was okay but…

"How come you don't let me come with you?" The words blurted from Cody's mouth before he could stop them. Zack lifted an eyebrow, pulling his backpack up his shoulder. "To your therapy sessions. How come you don't let me come with you?" He rushed to finish before Zack could speak, nervous energy for his admission. "I understand therapy is a private thing. And that you may have some things you don't want to talk about—"

"—That's sort of the point," Zack said. He looked at his brother. No, Cody realized. Just to the left of him. _He's ashamed,_ Cody thought. _Embarrassed._ "There's…a lot of stuff I can't say to you or mom or dad."

"Why not?" Cody knew he was pushing a bit too far. He could see Zack's nostrils flare the same way they always did when he was getting angry. It was the first sign, the second being the clenching of his jaw. Third being how he, somehow, managed to continue sounding calm while speaking through gritted teeth.

"Because I don't want to upset you."

Cody's eyes narrowed. He took in a deep breath and looked away from his brother. It wasn't the way he wanted to start the day, and yet it was something they really needed to talk about. If they were going to move forward and, maybe, be split up, they needed to clear the air. "You're not going to upset me, Zack."

"Cody. You get upset when you watch the news."

"If you paid attention to the injustice that was going on in the world, you'd be upset, too," Cody defended himself.

" _And_ you cry when you watch Martha Stewart on the Food Network," Zack continued. He smirked, folding his arms. Cody mimicked his brother's stance, unable to keep himself from doing so. They were such twins, it wasn't funny.

"You've never tasted anything that's ever made you cry," he commented. "If you ever actually decided to sit still long enough and not inhale your food, maybe you'd understand!"

"Oh, I understand, Cody." Zack stared at Cody for a long moment. His eyes searched his brother's, making it clear that what Zack was about to say was very serious. "I understand that whenever I eat something, I have to think hard about how much I have to keep myself from throwing it back up. I have to think that if I look myself in the mirror or compare the way I look to you, that it'd set me back even more than it would if I sat back and ate as much cake as Chef Paolo on a Tuesday." Zack shook his head. "If you can't understand that, then…"

"But I _want_ to," Cody insisted.

Zack nodded. "Okay," he finally said. "Okay, you're helping me so…I guess I should help you. I've got an appointment after school, after lacrosse practice. If you're there…I'll take you with me and you can be there while I talk to Dr. Morrison." Cody grinned. Finally. He was reaching a breakthrough with his brother. Finally, he was going to be able to understand. To find a way to help. "'But, I have to be honest while I'm there. I'm sorry if I say something that might hurt you, but I need to be honest while I'm there if I'm going to beat this."

"You already beat it, Zack," Cody pointed out. "Now you're just learning how to be stronger." He put his hand on Zack's shoulder and squeezed it firmly, silently reminding his brother he was there for him.

Zack, clearly getting the hint, rolled his eyes and grabbed Cody's hand, shoving it off him and back to Cody's side. "'Yeah, yeah, don't all mushy on me. It's bad enough you still sleep with blankie, I don't need you to bring me down, too." He laughed and shook Cody's shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

Cody followed his brother from the room and out to the main area of the suite. He looked over at Arwin, who lay stretched out over the couch, head tilted back and snoring loudly, a manual lying over his chest. Carey stood next to him, folding a blanket that she tucked over the back of the couch.

"What's up with Arwin?" Zack asked, looking over the man their mother was dating.

Cody leaned closer to study the front of the of the manual. He snorted, realizing it wasn't a manual at all, yet a self-help book. " _How To Win Friends and Influence People,"_ he read aloud. "Actually, that's a pretty good book."

"So why's Arwin reading it?" Zack asked.

Carey smiled a little. "He wants to stand up for himself a bit better," Carey explained. "Just trying to change his image a little bit."

"Oh, but the clumsy, weird, horrifically clumsy guy is the one we all know and love," Zack said. He managed to hide his smile, despite his freckled cheeks starting to move upwards. Cody gave him a warning look but when Zack caught his eye, Cody felt himself starting to smile as well, seconds away from laughing himself.

It was hard to picture, honestly. Arwin was one of the best things about the Tipton hotel and him changing would be too hard to picture how the Tipton would move forward. _You mean, exactly what you're doing._ The thought entered Cody's head before he could stop it. _Exactly like Zack did._ Cody pursed his lips and shook his head, tried to erase the message on the chalkboard of his mind. He didn't need to torture himself with it anymore.

Carey started to say something else, but the three jumped when a large, grinding sound, made the three jump. Eyes wide, Cody turned to stare at Arwin as the engineer's mouth dropped open, tongue lolling out so that there was enough room for the monstrous snores to escape. Zack, eyes wide, glanced at Carey.

"Mom," he said slowly. "How in the world do you manage to sleep next to that every night?"

A smirk pulled at Carey's lips. She folded her arms and looked at her son's with a knowing expression. "Ask your father," she commented.

Cody's nose immediately wrinkled as his cheeks flushed. He didn't need to know that. Zack, on the other hand, burst out into hysterical laughter, making Carey roll her eyes and wave her boys off to school. Cody stopped long enough to give her a hug and kiss before leaving the suite. Entering the elevator, Zack practically collapsed into the corner of the elevator, tilting his head back.

"You know, you'd be more alert if you didn't spend so many hours playing video games," Cody chided.

"You used to play as much as I do," Zack pointed out.

"I believe you'll find that 'used to' are the operative words there."

"At least I have a life." Zack rubbed at his eyes, flicking the crust from them at Cody, who immediately backed away from them. "There're more important things than having my nose in a book every second of every day. Like sleep."

"Don't you already get enough of that in study hall?"

"Not since Miss. Tutweiller took them away. Do you think I could sue her for that."

Cody snorted. "For what?"

"Emotional damage."

"If that were the case, I would've sued you years ago."

Cody shoved Zack aside when the elevator reached the lobby. The two stepped out with Zack heaving a sigh at Millicent at the candy counter. Of course, Cody noted, Zack could be with any girl or in any relationship and he'd still harbor something for Maddie. Especially the first few weeks when she went back to school.

"There you are!" Zack and Cody turned at the sound of Mr. Moseby's growl. He stormed across the lobby to them like a man on a mission. A mission he'd wanted to carry out since they'd move in. He looked like he'd finally gotten what he needed to kick them out.

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it," Zack said immediately.

Cody, on the other hand, stayed silent. Playing pranks was fun every now and then, but even he was smart enough not to disrupt Mr. Moseby's business. "What's going on, Mr. Moseby?"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to use the Tipton phone number for your childish pranks?"

"That only happened once," Zack defended himself. He grinned. "I mean, you enjoyed that serenade for your birthday, didn't you?" He stepped back behind Cody when Mr. Moseby growled under his breath, stepping towards Zack.

"After that juvenile trick I've been carefully monitoring our phone use and we've had multiple calls from the same number asking for you—"

"—I can't help it if girls want to talk to me," Zack said.

"Not you." Mr. Moseby glared at Cody. " _You_."

"Me?" Cody's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Who would be calling him? Everyone used his cell phone number.

"Yes, constantly asking if you're here, when you're leaving, when you're getting back, what suite number you're in. You know, I have the mindset to…" Mr. Moseby's voice trailed off. A dull humming toned in his ears. Mr. Moseby's words were a bomb detonating in his face. His breath caught in his throat and felt like hell.

Cody turned on his heel and hurried to the stairwell. The elevator would've been faster but he needed the time to wind all the way up to the 23rd floor. Needed the time to reassure himself.

Step.

 _Everything's okay._

Step.

 _You don't know it's her._

Step.

 _You're paranoid._

All the way up 230 steps and Cody nearly had himself believing it. But when he reached the door to the suite, he sensed it. Something was different. Something was wrong. Cody took out his key card and swiped his way inside. Carey sang in the shower, Arwin slept on the couch, and everything was just as it had been before.

All the hair on the back of Cody's neck stood up. He moved further into the suite, looking at everything as he inched closer to his room. Nothing was out of place. But he understood intuition, knew when his body was telling him something. Something was out of place. But where?

Cody went to his and Zack's room and continued to look around. Not that he'd even notice if anything on Zack's side had been touched. It was as haphazard and disorderly as ever. But everything had its place and Cody knew Zack's mess as well as his own cleanliness. Everything was fine. Taking in a deep breath, Cody steeled himself to examine his side of the room.

His bed was immaculate.

The floor was clean.

No fingerprints on the mirror or doorknobs.

His clothes were neatly folded and hung up in the closet.

His papers hadn't been touched. They sat exactly as they'd left them when he left the room that morning.

Zack's gasping for air came up behind Cody, though he didn't turn to face his twin. "Dude, why'd you leave me to take the fall?" He asked. "If you were going to do a prank like that, you need to let me know so I can work to be believable when I say I don't know what Mr. Moseby's talking about." He took in another deep breath, voice starting to sound more normal. "If this is payback for all those years of blaming you for things, I get it, but—"

"Zack," Cody interrupted. He stared at his dresser. Stared so hard it could've burst into flames. "Did you move my brush?" He held his breath, waiting for Zack to admit it, to say he was messing with him. That he purposefully moved it to the other side of the dresser to make him think he was going crazy.

His heart sank when Zack snorted and asked, "Why would I want your brush?"

* * *

 **A/N:** I can't remember if I'd said this in a previous author's note, but this does start a new arc within the story. And, like I said last chapter, there's a bit of a time jump from the last one to this one.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	19. Things Change

**.:18:.**

 _Things Change_

* * *

"Hey Cody! Long time, no see!"

Maddie smiled a brilliant smile, side-stepping the mountain of toys that sat by the doorway of the day care. Cody grinned and returned the hug she gave him. "I know, I've been so busy lately." He tilted his head. "Weren't you supposed to be back in school?"

"Yeah, but I've had time to come back and pick up a few extra shifts," Maddie explained. She shook her head. "Money has been pretty tight lately, I'm trying to take down as much tuition as I can."

Cody could sympathize. He remembered the times he, Zack, and his mother lived out of their car when there weren't too many places for them to go. And he knew how difficult it was for Maddie. The same explanation each time she was asked about it, and all without any sense of embarrassment as she did so. But she was getting to her senior year, almost ready to move from the East Coast in its entirety. At least, that was what she said.

Cody knew she would never be able to leave her family like that. Knew how she felt about it. Wondered the same thing for himself. He wanted to go to Yale, full stop. No other college entered his mind. Harvard was never on his radar. Too obvious. Didn't have everything he wanted in it. Yale had been his biggest target since he was five and nothing was going to stop him getting there.

Other than not having received an acceptance letter yet, but that was completely beside the point. And, there was leaving Zack and his mother behind. Would they be able to survive without him? His mom tended to cry whenever he talked about going to college. Zack could hardly care less, often not speaking about it himself. And as Cody wanted to experience everything life had to offer him, Cody couldn't help but feel a little queasy at the mere idea of having to leave.

Leave everything he knew and loved behind. It was the perfect time to take the chance and experience everything college had to offer, and yet…

Cody forced a smile. Forced that part, the sympathy was something he hadn't had to work hard to make come. He truly did feel for her. "Things haven't been getting any better?"

"Well, some more of my brothers and sisters need braces," Maddie explained. "And my grandma hasn't been doing too well lately. We may have to move her to a retirement home soon." She shook her head. "So, I'm doing the best I can to work on my expenses." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a high-tech cell phone. "Exhibit A."

Cody gave her a funny look. "I don't know if you've noticed, Maddie, but that's not something that most of us normal people can afford. Especially you."

Maddie gave him a look. "My last phone wasn't _that_ bad."

"It was made form candy." Cody laughed when Maddie shoved him hard on the arm. "Let me guess…London?"

"London," Maddie agreed. She put the phone back into her pocket. "She hired me as her assistant for this new fashion line thing that she's working on. You know, since she dropped out of school. She can be demanding, but it pays very well."

Cody's eyebrows rose in surprise. The last time Maddie had been London's assistant, things ended worse than badly. They fought, they argued, they decided not to speak to each other, all because London was making Maddie do crazy things, thinking it was what she was supposed to be as a socialite while stomping all over Maddie's feelings and her work when things became more than difficult. Maddie, on the other hand, worked hard with what she was given, making excuses for London as she needed the money and they were friends.

To know she was working with them again, Cody worried. He'd been London's assistant during many instances with her web show, knew what it was like to be abused by what London thought were good ideas and excitement. But even Cody knew it wasn't a good idea to mix business with family and friends. Club Twin shut down fairly quickly from that conundrum alone.

"And things are better this time?" Cody asked.

Maddie smiled and reached out, mussing Cody's hair. For a moment, Cody flashed back to when he was ten, eleven years old and Maddie had to babysit him and Zack every time their mother went to do one of her shows. Where she would be strict enough to make sure they did their homework when they got home from school, made sure they had dinner, took a bath, and went straight to bed. Then there were the times she'd get stuck in all their schemes, too many to count by that point.

"Much," Maddie agreed. "London and I are working very well together." She paused and started to say something else, then stopped when she heard a commotion behind her. She turned around and sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. "James, Darien, stop shoving Lincoln Logs up your noses." She held up a hand, backing away from Cody. "I'm sorry, I have to take care of this. It was good to see you, Cody."

"Good to see you, too," Cody called after her. He smiled, watching as she grabbed the two little boys and tore them apart from each other, dropping tiny Lincoln Logs all over the floor. How funny, he was sure his mother said something about him and Zack doing the same thing when they were younger.

"Hey, Cody." Zack walked over, shuffling towards his brother. Cody looked down, his smile widening when he spotted two little kids hugging Zack's legs. "I'll be done in a minute." His eyes darted around the day care. "Just…don't touch anything. We've had a bit of an issue with some chocolate today." He paused. "At least, I hope it's chocolate."

Cody grimaced and took a step back. His anxiety immediately spiked at even such the idea that he could touch anything covered in germs. And children were a landmine of germs. He liked children, to an extent. Understood the point of reproduction and what it meant economically, socially, intimately. Children were some of the more creative and innocent minds out there, often coming up with bigger and better ideas than adults could, before the pressures of life and the realism of the world managed to knock them and their positivity down.

But they were also some of the most disgusting creatures on the face of the planet. _I should know, I grew up with one of the most gross,_ Cody thought. A fond smile came to his face, immediately flashing back to a point he was young, and he and Zack would charge headlong into mud puddles and dirt piles only for Zack to kick and scream, refusing a bath when Cody was all too happy to clean himself off.

There were some of the biggest differences between them starting even before they could understand that they _wanted_ to be individuals and not 'the Martin twins' all the time. Cody whipped a package of anti-bacterial wipes out of his cross-body bag, immediately turning to wipe down the table next to him and anything else he may have come into contact with.

As he cleaned, Cody looked up and watched Zack lift the two giggly, squirming girls off his legs with ease and deposit them with Maddie before going to a nearby computer to clock out for the day. He didn't look tired, but more amped up. The Super Extrovert to Cody's Extrovert. Cody was shy when he first met people, sometimes wondered what to say before even opening his mouth, knowing his interests weren't the most common. He liked to meet people, always enjoyed getting to know how people lived and different cultures, and yet Zack managed to do it with so much enthusiasm and without any regard to nervousness.

It was a wonder anyone thought they were completely identical before getting to know each other. Especially now that Zack was in his recovery stage. He hovered between being thin and a normal, healthy size, face was still a bit gaunt, his hair was growing back. And yet, Cody hated how if he looked at the two of them in the mirror, he saw two completely different people rather than boys who looked the same with different personalities when all he used to see were identical looking boys.

And he didn't quite understand why or how things turned out that way.

"Are you trying to polish a hole through the table? 'Cause if Mr. Moseby finds out, I'm not paying for it," Zack commented, walking up to Cody's side, a backpack slung over one shoulder, and the Tipton staff shirt slung over the other.

"Believe me, Mr. Moseby would be glad to see how well I can clean this place," Cody replied with a smile. He maneuvered the wipe between his fingers, making sure he got everything clean, before tossing the wipe into the wastebasket. He headed toward the door, reaching out for "Do you know how many different strains of germs and bacteria are even just on the chairs?"

"On the chars? No. But I can say at least two on the doorknob you're about to grab." Zack shrugged. "Two of the kids sneezed all over it today."

Cody squealed and shot his hand backwards. He glanced at his palm, wondering if he even came into contract with any of the germs that would be teeming along the surface of the doorknob by itself. Not to mention how much he breathed in from the air alone.

Zack, on the other hand, laughed and grabbed it, pushing the door open. "Relax. Maddie and I clean everything when the kids are taking a nap." He yawned, lifting his backpack higher up his shoulder. "You've really got to stop taking everything so seriously sometimes."

Cody wiped his palm against his chest, following his brother from the Tipton to the bus stop. As the twin brothers walked along, Cody watched Zack. Watched as occasionally, Zack would yawn or rub at his eyes, nevertheless continuing to move on autopilot, knowing exactly what he was doing and where he was going.

Cody was suddenly struck with a tone of sadness. He used to know everything about Zack and vice versa. And he was too…selfish? Self-centered? Busy, to know what was going on with his twin brother until it was too late?

Zack looked at Cody and rolled his eyes. "Geez, Cody, it's not that big a deal."

"You think?" Cody didn't shoot back with a prepared retort like he always did. Didn't make a face. Didn't mentally squish Zack under his giant brain as he wanted to do. Maybe he was more like Zack than he thought they still were. Considering how quickly Zack was able to continuously downplay whatever it was that Cody was going through.

"Yeah, I mean, if Yale doesn't want to have you around, then that's their problem," Zack continued. Cody blinked in surprise. Yale? He was talking about Yale? "There's plenty of other colleges who are going to want you and all those stupid awards and projects and presentations that you've done since you were four—"

"—Three," Cody interrupted. "I think you're still forgetting about that moldy bread experiment."

"Oh yeah." Zack smiled. "I was out for almost a week."

"The longest time we've been apart," Cody agreed. "Until I went to math camp, anyway."

"And now you're going to college." Zack leaned against the pole for the bus stop and crossed his legs at the ankle. He shoved his hands into the front pocket of his sweatshirt. _Of his massive sweatshirt,_ Cody thought. Zack shrugged, looking away from Cody. "So, until Thanksgiving, I guess."

"Well, it's not like you're not going to be doing anything," Cody reassured Zack.

"Yeah, vegging out on the couch when mom's not nagging at me to get a better job than the day care." Zack started to pull off his beanie, stopped, and lifted the front to run a hand through his hair. Apart from sleeping, Cody couldn't remember the last time Zack didn't wear his beanie 24/7. "The benefits are okay, though."

Cody snorted. "What benefits?" He asked. "Mr. Moseby is too cheap to give anyone even good benefits. You know Maddie wouldn't be working there if it wasn't that the pay was so good." Cody suddenly had the thought that Zack was making a lot more money than he probably knew what to do with and made the mental note to remind him to put it into a savings account, let alone save it for college. God knew their mother wasn't going to suddenly hit rich within the next couple of months.

"I meant the benefit of seeing Maddie every day, but you're right."

Cody rolled his eyes. The bus pulled up and Zack waited for the doors to open before jumping on. Cody walked on behind him, avoiding contact with the handrails and seats before dropping down into one next to Zack. (But not before disinfecting it as well, making the other passengers glare at him from the white cloud the permeated he clean air on the bus). Cody looked over at Zack as he yawned again.

"Did you stay up late playing video games again?"

"No, lacrosse practice," Zack said.

"Oh yeah, it was the first day. How'd it go?"

"It was fine. Coach is a little intense, but we should have a good team. You should see Patrick and Noah, they freaking fly up the field like no one's business. And, you know, everyone is saying that you should play, too. If you were that good at basketball, I'm sure lacrosse wouldn't be too hard for you."

"I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"I'm nice to you all the time."

"If by being nice you mean punching me on the arm, flicking me in the ear, shoving me, pushing me so you can climb on my back—"

"Yeah, I'm a freaking Saint and you don't appreciate it." Zack flashed a grin to Cody, who smiled back. Then Zack's eyebrows rose. "Crys was really good at practice, too. She's fast and her stickhandling is great."

"I'm sure the other guys weren't too happy about her being there," Cody reasoned.

He'd watched part of practice that day, wincing every time Crystal was knocked to the ground by one of her teammates that were much bigger than she was. She popped back to her feet each time, but…he still worried.

Cody was a worrier in general but toxic masculinity was a real thing. He would know, Zack had shades of it every now and then, Drew was one of the worst offenders, and his friends, who were also on the team, followed anything Drew did.

Even Moose tried to talk Crystal out of playing. Even when they were on the field, no matter what Crystal did right, Moose would ask, "Are you sure you want to be out here? This isn't no little girl's game."

To which Crystal would just throw the ball to him harder and harder. Even from the distance Cody sat, he could see the frustration on Moose's face the more she did it. His entire upper half would jerk backwards from the ball coming to a sudden stop within the netting of his lacrosse stick.

"You have no idea," Zack agreed. "But, it's the same way when Max joined the basketball team when we were in middle school. They tried their hardest to get her to quit."

"But you were dating Max at the time. You're not dating Crys."

"That can be fixed."

Cody shook his head. Be it true to Zack that he'd find a way to bring all his conversations back to girls. The two lapsed into silence for a long time, until something Cody didn't realize was bothering him until they arrived at the therapists' office. "How'd you know about Yale?" He asked. "I never said anything about it."

"You didn't have to. You act like such a psycho whenever we get the mail, and then you're moody for the rest of the day when you don't get what you're waiting for. Which is ridiculous because you've already got accepted into NYU _and_ Columbia. And whenever Bailey mentions Yale, your head practically explodes with jealousy. It doesn't take an idiot to figure out what you're obsessing over."

"I'm not _obsessing_ ," Cody protested. "I'm…" _What are you, then? All you can think about is school and when you're not thinking about school, you're…doing nothing. You're worrying about Zack. You're worrying yourself silly. You're trying not to think about Sadie._

Cody's stomach sank. Why did he have to think about her then when he hadn't thought about her for a long time. Hadn't thought about how he was sure she'd been in their suite. How he was sure she was in his room and moved his brush. She had to have been there for a long time to be able to do it and no one see her. That was the horrifying thought. That no one had seen her do it. And there was the call that Mr. Moseby received.

Sadie had been to the Tipton enough times to see Zack that she knew the Tipton and their suite and the personnel inside and out. Almost obsessively. For a minute, Cody remembered what'd gone on when Agnes was in their lives. How she managed to sweet talk her way into their suite, speaking with their mother and being so 'cute' with her when she was, in fact, more than obsessive. Who knew they'd manage to attract two crazy people in their lives?

Once Agnes moved away, Cody felt more than ashamed that he felt nothing but absolute relief. It was a strange feeling, knowing someone had such big feelings for him that he couldn't and would never return. Uncomfortable. Now that familiar feeling was creeping back and all he was did was have a brief thought about her.

"Obsessing," Zack reiterated. "School is all you've ever cared about and when things don't go your way, you freak out. Like when you couldn't figure out that stupid laser thing that you were working on and you didn't want Barbara Brownstein to beat you." He stood up as the bus came to a complete stop. "Believe me, Cody, there's a lot more to life than school."

Cody followed Zack off the bus, making sure they paid exactly for their fare, and followed his brother into the large office building. It looked more like a high-rise penthouse than an office by any means. But as London was paying for it, she could afford the best and it certainly was the best. Cody stood aside as he greeted—and flirted with—the young receptionist, signing the two in. He handed Cody a guest pass, and sat in the nearby reclining chairs to wait.

Finally, Zack's name was called and the two went into the office. Cody's jaw dropped. Dr. Morrison's office rivaled what their suite looked like. Large, floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the city and the other nearby buildings, some that had rooftop gardens enhanced the spectacular view. Bookshelf after Bookshelf lined the walls, each shelf filled with self-help books as well as memoirs and works of fiction. Some of which that Cody loved himself. A large desk sat on one side of the room, with a set of chairs, couches, and furniture on the other. A chess table sat in the corner of the room, a basketball hoop was hung over the door that led to the closet, and there was a tiny table complete with chairs, crayons, and coloring books for any children that would be with their parents.

"Hey Zack, how's it going?" Dr. Morrison reached out his hand and the two slapped palms, coming together in a man hug.

"Not much I can complain about," Zack replied. He hooked his hands around the straps of his backpack. "Other than the usual, I mean." He reached out and slapped Cody on the shoulder, bringing him forward. "This is my brother, Cody. Cody, this is Dr. Morrison."

"Hey Cody, nice to meet you." Dr. Morrison shook Cody's hand firmly. "I'm glad you decided to join us today."

"It's nice to meet you," Cody replied. He took another cursory glance around the office, noticing how comfortable Zack felt dropping his bag to the ground to stretch out on the couch. "I can't help but notice you don't have your credentials out on display."

Dr. Morrison grinned, folding his arms. "I don't like to brag about where I got my degrees. And, as you can imagine, there are many people that feel that, no matter the degrees you have, they still can't trust you. I don't like to base my work around that more than what I can do to help people. If they don't like me, then they don't like me. It's because I can't give them something, not that my degrees can't."

Cody nodded. He understood. No point in bragging about where he went to school when his work could speak for itself. _I wonder if he went to Yale._ Cody couldn't help the nasty though that came to mind.

Then, almost as if reading his mind, Dr. Morrison asked, "Zack told me that you're interested in going to Yale?" Cody nodded again. "What were you thinking of studying?"

"Eventually I want to become a Supreme Court Justice, but being a lawyer, doctor, astronaut, physicist, or a chemist are all up there, too. You can't have too many options."

Dr. Morrison blinked in surprise. His eyes shifted aside to regard Zack. Zack lifted a hand and waved lazily saying, "I told you."

Cody frowned. "Told you what?" He felt sweat flood beneath his arms. There were too many things Zack could have told him. Could have said he was a nerd, a dork, a waste of a brother. That he was more annoying than the most annoying person on the planet. That he wished he was more athletic. The list was too long.

"Nothing bad. Just that you're very particular and steadfast in what you want. It's a great quality to have." Dr. Morrison waved Cody over to the seating area and sat down, picking up a clipboard stacked with paper on top. "So, let's get down to it. Did you remember to bring your journal?"

"Yep." Zack reached into his backpack and pulled out the notebook Zack had slammed his hands on and shoved away whenever someone could come into the room. "I've still been writing in it when I've gotten the chance. Not as much as I'd like, but I've got some stuff done."

"And how has the last week been for you?"

"Not too bad. Lacrosse started up, and the homework seems to be getting easier…"

For the next hour, Cody sat back and listened as Dr. Morrison and Zack talked about everything. Cody was glad to sit back and watch. Just listen as Zack released everything he was worried about; school, missing his friends, what he felt he couldn't control; school, his friends leaving him, and worried about his future; where he'd live up to everyone's expectations and not amount to much.

"Is it that you're worried that _you_ won't amount to much or is it that you think what you choose to do, other people won't be supportive?" Dr. Morrison asked. "Because it sounds like, to me, that you care a bit too much of what other people think of you."

Zack snorted. "It's hard not to when you're constantly being compared."

"Yes, that's something you bring up a lot," Dr. Morrison agreed. For the first time in over an hour, he looked toward Cody, who sucked in a deep breath, bust stayed silent. Willed himself to stay silent. IT wasn't his session, and while Cody could easily talk about his feelings, Zack clammed up until he had to talk. (Though Cody was sure Zack was even more sensitive and sentimental than he was, when he showed it). "Tell me, Zack, do you resent Cody for the comparisons you get?"

"No," Zack said readily. Cody looked at his brother carefully. Knew every time when Zack lied; recognized the quick changes in his brother's face when he did so. Zack _always_ shifted his eyes to the side then grinned confidently. Over the years he learned how to do it so fast that others only saw his grin and took his charisma at face value.

 _He's telling the truth,_ Cody realized after a second.

"Is there anyone you blame for your comparisons? I know you and Cody have had your differences over the years. Hell, even just by looking at the two of you, I can tell you're different."

"You'd be the first one," Cody piped up.

Again, Zack was ready for the question. "Teachers," he explained. "Our classmates. Sometimes our friends. People on the street constantly asking, "Who's the good twin and who's the evil twin? Who's smarter?" He hesitated and glanced at Cody out the corner of his eye.

Dr. Morrison noticed. "It's okay, Zack, if you don't want to say—"

"No, I know who he's going to say," Cody interrupted. "He's going to say 'mom'." Zack nodded. Even though Cody was supposed to be quiet, he couldn't help but speak up. It wasn't something he was surprised about. Zack had all but said the same thing when they visited him in the hospital after his heart attack. Explained it again when Zack decided he wanted to live with their dad for a little while. Cody just never said, "He's right."

Zack gaped at him in surprise.

"Since we were young, mom's compared us on a lot of things. I can't blame her for it, she was a single mom and was worried about our development. If one of us wasn't walking, she'd compare us to the other one. If one wasn't talking, if one wasn't running, if one wasn't learning things faster…it always had to be a comparison." Cody paused, frowning. "Almost like she was trying to make us compete with each other."

"A competition I'd always lose," Zack mumbled so quietly that Dr. Morrison didn't hear, but Cody certainly did. His heart hurt every time he heard Zack talk like that, but also felt the same way when it came to sports and popularity. They both knew that, but while Cody tried Zack…didn't. Cody ended up getting on the basketball team and got some respect while Zack continued to put off homework and be lazy about it.

"Is that why you hate her?" Cody asked his brother. Dr. Morrison continued to stay silent, sitting back as he watched the two talk to each other. It was a tactic he used, Cody realized. He'd let Zack sit in silence long enough so that he could collect his thoughts and speak honestly.

"I don't hate mom," Zack said quickly. "I don't hate anyone."

"Is that why you're mad at her?"

"I've been mad for a long time, Cody, you know that. I'm surrounded by everything you do all the time. School is always what you've been best at, it's your thing. And then I'm forced to do your 'thing' and I'm not going to live up to it no matter how much other people want me to. But I'm not mad at her."

So that meant…

"Are you mad at me?"

Zack tilted his head back, pinching at the bridge of his nose. "I'm not mad at you."

"Then how come we're not close anymore?" Stunned silence stretched between the two. Cody hadn't meant to ask. Hadn't mean to sound like he was whining. Hadn't meant to say anything at all. It surprised him more than Zack that the words came out. _Dr. Morrison really knows what he's doing to get people to talk._ "We don't hang out and if it wasn't for basketball, you don't want to do anything with me."

"Cody…" Zack warned.

"No, I want to know. If it's still because of your eating disorder, I'm not bothered by that anymore. I looked it up, I researched it. I understand. Nothing that we've been doing over the years had to have been helping. But, I'm trying to help you now. You know that."

"Is it that you feel no one is on your side?" Dr. Morrison asked. "That everyone is waiting for you to mess up?"

"I've felt that way my entire life. If they thought I was going to mess up, I may as well do what they expect. And now I'm in therapy and go to the doctor almost every month. I really messed up this time, huh?"

"Zack!"

"The reason why we're not close is because we're not friends," Zack snapped, giving his full attention to Cody.

Cody stared at him. Felt a pinch behind his eyes. Hope he wouldn't stop crying. They weren't friends? How was that possible? They were brothers. Twin! Zack was his absolute best friend. _I thought I was his._ Truth be told, Cody didn't feel anyone was closer to him than Zack was. That it wasn't possible for anyone to even come close to what he and Zack had. "What are you talking about? Of course, we are!"

"No." Zack shook his head. "We're brothers. We're twins. But we're not friends. I've been a shitty friend to you as much as you've been a shitty one to me. We haven't been friends for a long time. And let's face it,"—he shrugged—"the sooner you go off to college, the better because then we don't have to pretend we are."

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sorry it took a while for me to get back to this one. And it ended on a bit of a sour note, but it is something I've wondered about for a while with SLOD episodes like _Goin' Bananas_ and _The Silent Treatment._

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	20. Cody's Log V

**.:19:.**

 _Cody's Log V_

* * *

 _Not friends?_

 _How can Zack say we're not friends?_

 _Okay, yes, we do get on each other's nerves. We do make fun of each other. We cut each other down when we get the chance. We tend to be in competition with each other…_

 _Okay, I sort of see what he means. But that doesn't mean that we're not friends! That we're not friendly with each other. There's always a sense of competition within siblings, it's a fundamental part of developing the social and emotional capacities within children. It encourages problem solving and communication and emotional maturity. It develops language and linguistics._

 _(Though I'm not so sure how mature it is for that small prank war Zack and I got into that ended up having us kicked out of that one hotel that we, legally, still can't talk about. Mom hasn't gotten over it yet.)_

 _It's a good thing._

 _I've never hated Zack. I hated it when he stole some of my food. Hated it when he'd push me out of the way to do something first. Hated it when Zack got more attention for some things when, if Cody did them later, it wouldn't get the same reaction. Hated how Zack seemed to make friends so much easier than he ever could. Hated how everyone seemed to like him—up until he got them caught up in some sort of money making scheme or some sort of ploy to get out of trouble._

 _But I've never hated him._

 _Zack is my brother. He's my best friend. I thought I was his best friend, too. Maybe he hates me. Maybe he's always hated me, and I haven't known. We get along for the most part. Yes, we do get on each other's nerves. But I know I can always count on Zack._

 _No matter what, if I knew there was something going on, I could soundboard off Zack. Yes, sometimes he makes things worse. He doesn't always know how to help someone. I think my asking for advice petrifies him, if I'm being honest. Because his reaction is to immediately to give some sort of terrible advice that isn't going to help much. But when I explain that I need him to be serious, he sits back and thinks for a second, blinking as his eyes shift to the side._

 _Then he gives good advice. It's almost like he had to defend himself before he says anything ot make sure that he'll be received well._

 _And, I can sort of understand that._

 _It's like we've said to each other and to mom and dad and to Dr. Morrison…to almost everyone in our lives. When you're a twin, you're known for something. You're immediately labeled as 'the smart one', 'the cute one', 'the funny one', 'the troublemaker', anything that can be made a label, you've got a label. I've always been known as the smart one. I couldn't help it. I've always been intellectually inclined._

 _But the thing is, I would never be that smart, my ideas wouldn't have been able to come to fruition if it weren't for Zack. I wouldn't' have been able to build some of my biggest and best LEGO creations if Zack hadn't' knocked them down. I wouldn't have been able to come up with an indestructible lock if it weren't for Zack picking every lock I've ever had before._

 _I wouldn't have been able to come up with my ploy to keep Zack from stealing my papers from my archives…if he didn't keep stealing my papers. A lot of what I do I have to thank Zack for._

 _I love my brother._

 _I could never hate him._

 _But he might hate me._

 _Not just because of the labels we're given, but because I'm not sure there's much I can do to help him. I might be able to push him forward a little in school if he wanted to do better. But he's always said he hated it when I try to help him, because I take everything over. I can't help him in sports because I'm not good at them. I've gotten better at basketball because of physics, and even Zack was confused when he'd seen how well me and Tapeworm ad gotten._

 _But Zack's form and athleticism has always been good. I can't make him better unless I play against him. I can't make him better with girls because he's always been good with girls. (For the most part, it's the commitment part he's had problems with). I can't help him with woodworking because I stink at it. (It's the only thing I'm not good at, but I can at least show some appreciation into it other than the constant splinters)._

 _Huh._

 _I get the point now._

 _I'm doing the same thing. Not that we didn't know that. We continue to wish we were more like each other all the time. And while we do poke fun at each other all the time. But I can't remember all the times that we defended each other or had an actual conversation where we didn't throw in something to hurt each other._

 _Maybe that was the problem. We've gone through so much in our lives that we're always going to take our anger out on each other. Instead of talking about it the way we should. I've always thought I was the more emotional one, but it might be Zack. He just keeps things bottled up more than I do._

 _I'll cry and let things out as soon as I feel them and move on. But Zack holds onto it._

 _Just like…I guess that's why he hadn't said anything about Sadie, or his pictures, or about his eating disorder. Maybe for the same reason I haven't said anything about tutoring Sadie so much. Or about how she may have…well, I don't know._

 _I don't know if she got into my room or not. I don't know if it was a coincidence. I don't know if she really was the one who called the Tipton to get me down there. I don't know the feeling I had._

 _It was just a…feeling._

 _Parents don't understand this about teenagers. We have a lot going on and too many feelings that are hard to determine within a day's notice let alone for the rest of our tumultuous years. And in that time we're supposed to figure out who is going to be in our lives as we move on from school._

 _I'll be honest, part of the reason I wanted to go to Yale was so I could have some time to myself. So I can be my own person. So I didn't have to be known as a twin._

 _And as the time moved closer, I felt a bit of hesitation for it._

 _I'm not going to Yale, Zack doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and we're splitting apart anyway._

 _Or else, we've been splitting apart._

 _If I had to track it back to when we first started to drift…I could easily pinpoint it. Zack and I may have our own interests and priorities but we've always been pretty close to each other. (Why else would I continuously allow myself to be talked into Zack's schemes?)_

 _But it was when I joined the basketball team when Zack really started to pull away from me._

 _So, maybe I was the problem all along?_

* * *

 **A/N:** Huh, this is the darkest I've written Cody. It's a very interesting route to go. I'll have another update soon. Things will move a bit faster then.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


End file.
